Giant esophageal carcinoma.

Carcinoma of the esophagus is a devastating disease that produces various degrees of esophageal obstruction by virtue of its circumferential, constricting type of growth pattern. Because of the relatively small diameter of the esophageal lumen, a limited-sized tumor can produce severe obstructive symptoms. Carcinoma of the esophagus is, as a rule, fairly well localized to its wall or the immediate mediastinal parietes in cases where there is extension beyond the esophageal musculature.(1) Large, bulky, exophytic types of esophageal carcinomas that produce symptoms mainly as a result of extrinsic pressure are unusual.