Published online May 21, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i19.5805
Peer-review started: January 8, 2015
First decision: January 22, 2015
Revised: February 28, 2015
Accepted: March 31, 2015
Article in press: March 31, 2015
Published online: May 21, 2015
Processing time: 132 Days and 22.4 Hours
Brain metastasis from esophageal carcinoma (BMEC) is very rare, but its incidence has increased in the United States, Japan, China and other counties. Reports on BMEC have largely been focused on examining whether adjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer influences the survival duration of BMEC patients and on the imaging characteristics of BMEC determined using new medical equipment. The difference between different pathological types of esophageal cancer, especially adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, is one important factor used to assess the influence of BMEC. Adjuvant therapy, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, for esophageal cancer with different characteristics in different countries may affect BMEC treatment outcomes. The degree of popularization of advanced medical equipment is a major concern related to the prevalence of BMEC. Furthermore, targeted BMEC treatment is under development in developed countries. In this article, we reviewed the debate surrounding BMEC and analyzed BMEC studies from different perspectives.
Core tip: The incidence of brain metastasis from esophageal carcinoma (BMEC) is extremely low but has increased in recent years. The relevant reports on this unique disease have primarily focused on issues such as whether the auxiliary treatment of esophageal cancer promotes BMEC, the correlation of survival duration with different treatment methods, and imaging characteristics determined using various imaging approaches. We reviewed the different perspectives of BMEC and compared BMEC studies performed in different countries.