A very unusual cause of dysphagia: mantle cell lymphoma

Dysphagia is an alarm symptom requiring a prompt investigation. Different benign and malignant diseases may present such a symptom. We describe a case of a 79-year-old patient who complained of fluctuating dysphagia episodes following solid food ingestion in the previous 5 months with mild weight loss. No other gastrointestinal symptoms were present. The patient was referred by the General Practitioner for a videofluoroscopic swallow examination which revealed nodularity of mucosa surface in the oropharynx, esophagus, fundus, and gastric body. Upper endoscopy confirmed the feature, also showing a normal mucosa of the antrum and duodenum. The histological examination revealed a mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). A stage III, MCL involving the esophagus and proximal stomach was eventually diagnosed. Esophageal MCL localization is extremely rare, and this is the first report showing a clinical onset with dysphagia.