Esophagitis, Chemotherapy Induced

Synonyms

Chemotherapy effect in esophagus

Definition

Esophagitis is a common side effect of chemotherapy and different degrees of mucosal toxicity depend on the number of drugs used, their dosage, and length of treatment and the presence of concomitant radiotherapy.

Many chemotherapeutic drugs damage directly the esophageal mucosa, in a similar way to other parts of gastrointestinal tract, acting primarily on mitotically active cells, leading to cell death, inflammation, and ulceration. The chemotherapeutic agents reported are dactinomycin, bleomycin, cytarabine, daunorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate, and vincristine.

Clinical Features

Patients with chemotherapy esophagitis suffer from chest pain and discomfort. Symptoms are similar with different chemotherapeutic agents, and there is a synergistic effect with the frequent combination with radiation therapy, with more severe symptoms due to more severe damage.

Macroscopy

In acute phase, the macroscopic examination reveals friable...