[A case of effective photodynamic therapy for local recurrence after definitive chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer].

We performed a photodynamic therapy for local recurrence after chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer. The patient was a 60s man, who presented dysphasia. Esophagoscopy, CT and FDG-PET revealed an advanced esophageal cancer with mediastinal lymph node metastasis. He rejected a surgical treatment and underwent chemoradiotherapy, then achieved CR once. Subsequent FDG-PET, however, showed slightly FDG uptake at primary focus of the esophagus. Endoscopic biopsy specimen from Lugol's unstained lesion of the esophagus revealed squamous cell carcinoma, and he was diagnosed as a recurrence of the esophageal cancer. He underwent chemotherapy again, but the recurrent lesion enlarged. Because the control of the metastatic lesion was excellent and the recurrent lesion was considered as a superficial cancer, he was performed photodynamic therapy. Two months after photodynamic therapy, the esophagoscopy and FDG-PET showed no findings of the recurrence of the esophageal cancer. It was suggested that photodynamic therapy for local recurrence after definitive chemotherapy for esophageal cancer was effective and relatively safe.