ABSTRACT
Background: Esophageal immature squamous metaplasia is hardly reported in the literature. This entity can, however, be misinterpreted as high grade dysplasia or invasive squamous cell carcinoma and hence represent a potential pitfall. Case presentation: Histopathological examination of a superficial esophageal lesion removed by endoscopic submucosal dissection revealed a squamous cell carcinoma associated with immature squamous cell metaplasia arising from esophageal glands. Immunohistochemical stainings allowed to distinguish malignant from metaplastic cells. Conclusions: Immunohistochemistry for Ber-EP4 is helpful in making the distinction between esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and immature squamous metaplasia. This can avoid overstaging and overtreatment, especially in early esophageal cancer.
