Abstract

Original Article

Death Related to Pleural and Pericardial Effusions Following
Chemoradiotherapy in a Patient with
Advanced Cancers of the Esophagus and Stomach

Naoyuki Shigematsu, Naoto Kitamura, Yoshirou Saikawa, Eiji Ikeda, Jun-ichi Fukada, Etsuo Kunieda, Yuko Kitagawa, Keiichi Fukuda, Yasunori Okada, Atsushi Kubo

Chemoradiotherapy improves therapeutic outcome in many different types of cancer. However, there is concern about the occurrence of delayed complications, as patients are surviving longer. Because patients with esophageal cancer receive a wide range of irradiation field to the mediastinum and the heart, they may have delayed complications of heart and lung functions as previously reported in Hodgkin's disease. We presented a case of death related to uncontrollable pleural and pericardial effusions in a patient with advanced cancers of the esophagus and stomach who achieved a complete remission following chemoradiotherapy and salvage gastric resection, focusing on detailed pathophysiological conditions related to concurrent chemoradiotherapy.