Approximately six months prior to admission, this 78-year-old male began having difficulty in swallowing solid food. This difficulty was described as a sticking of the food in his throat and was accompanied by cramping pain which could only be relieved by "coughing up" the ingested food. This dysphagia was accompanied by a twenty-pound weight loss. Following an upper GI series and endoscopic biopsy, the patient was given radiation treatment with considerable improvement. He did well for four months, after which the dysphagia and weight loss increased markedly. He refused operative intervention or further treatment and he died at home two months later.

== Images ==

=== Journal Articles ===

* Shibata H, Matsubara O. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11472561 Apoptosis as an independent prognostic indicator in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus]. ''Pathol Int'' 2001 Jul;51(7):498-503.

=== Images ===