Case report

Esophageal cancer in a young woman with bulimia nervosa: a case report

Eric T Shinohara¹ , Samuel Swisher-McClure² , Michael Husson³ , Weijing Sun⁴ and James M Metz¹

¹  Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

²  West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA

³  Department of Pathology, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA

⁴  Department of Hematology Oncology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Medical Case Reports 2007, 1:160doi:10.1186/1752-1947-1-160

Published:	29 November 2007

Abstract

Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus has increased dramatically within the United States and continues to have a poor prognosis despite aggressive treatment. Identifying potential risk factors is critical for the early detection and treatment of this disease. The present case report describes a very young woman who developed adenocarcinoma of the esophagus after only a brief history of bulimia. These findings suggest that even in very young patients, bulimia may represent a risk factor for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus.