Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Oct 16, 2026; 18(10): 122913
Published online Oct 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.122913
Published online Oct 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.122913
Endoscopic submucosal dissection combined with radiotherapy for T1b esophageal lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma: A case report
Yi Mou, Shan Li, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Yu-Hang Zhang, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Digestive Endoscopy Medical Engineering Research Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Bing Hu, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical Engineering Integration Laboratory of Digestive Endoscopy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Li S drafted the manuscript and prepared the video clip; Zhang YH collected the data and revised the manuscript; and Mou Y and Hu B conceptualized the study, performed the endoscopic examination, and critically revised the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using AI tools solely for language refinement. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted outputs and take full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82170675.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from the patient to publish these images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Yi Mou, MD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Alley, Wuhou District, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. 125654639@qq.com
Received: May 8, 2026
Revised: July 22, 2026
Accepted: August 31, 2026
Published online: October 16, 2026
Processing time: 160 Days and 15.4 Hours
Revised: July 22, 2026
Accepted: August 31, 2026
Published online: October 16, 2026
Processing time: 160 Days and 15.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Esophageal lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma is a rare entity prone to misdiagnosis. We report a case of tiny T1b esophageal lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma treated with en bloc endoscopic submucosal dissection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. Despite the small lesion size, submucosal invasion was present. No recurrence was observed during 3 years of follow-up. This case suggests that even small superficial lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma may harbor invasive potential. Although adjuvant radiotherapy was administered in accordance with esophageal cancer guidelines, a unified treatment consensus for this rare pathology remains lacking and requires further investigation.