Choriocarcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus with gonadotropin secretion

A 44‐year‐old man died of disseminated choriocarcinoma. The esophagus was verified as the apparent primary source at postmortem examination. The esophageal tumor, but not the metastases, also contained well‐differentiated adenocarcinoma. Similar cases of mixed adenocarcinoma and choriocarcinoma have been reported to occur in the stomach. We believe that the basic lesion was an adenocarcinoma which underwent metaplasia to form cells morphologically and functionally indistinguishable from trophoblasts. This explanation would supplant the traditional idea of “embryonic rests” as the source of extragenital choriocarcinomas of the viscera. The literature is reviewed on the uncommon involvement of the gastrointestinal tract by choriocarcinoma.