Extrapulmonary Small Cell Carcinoma in Oropharyngeal and Esophageal Primary Sites Treated with Chemo-Radiotherapy

Extrapulmonary sites constitute 5.8% of all small cell carcinoma (SCC) cases (Wong et al., 2009). A better 3-year survival has been reported for patients with extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma (EPSCC) as compared to small cell lung cancer (19% vs 5%) (Wong et al., 2009). Though there have been recent institutional experiences with EPSCC, clear guidelines regarding the optimal sequencing and extent of the multimodality therapy remains to be defined. Most of the cases of EPSCC arise in the gastrointestinal tract, with esophagus being the most common site (Wong et al., 2009). Head and neck SCC constitutes 11-21% of all extrapulmonary sites (Lin et al., 2007; Ochsenreither et al., 2009; Wong et al., 2009; Brennan et al., 2010). The majority of cases of SCC in the head and neck region involve trachea, thyroid, and larynx followed by oral cavity, sinonasal, and pharynx (Wong et al., 2009). We prospectively assessed the treatment outcome with induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation/radiation in three cases of oropharyngeal and one of esophageal SCC.