Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung that Invades the Upper and the Middle Third of the Esophagus - Closer Look at the Lesion

Small cell carcinoma: This tumor usually arises close to the hilum. Is the most malignant lung cancer and is composed of oat cells which are smaller than tumor cells found in the squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. The tumor cells have little cytoplasm, are arranged in clusters and nests, show arefactual smearing after processing, do not show evidence of squamous or glandular differentiation and have neurosecretory granules. The neurosecretory granules may be identified at the ultrastructural level or by immunohistochemical demonstration of chromogranin or synaptophysin. This is the type of the tumor that is associated with paraneoplastic syndromes.