Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia mimicking esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a patient with lye-induced esophageal stricture

Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia is a benign condition that may be caused by prolonged inflammation, chronic infection, and/or neoplastic conditions of the mucous membranes or skin. Due to its histological resemblance to well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia may occasionally be misdiagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. The importance of pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia is that it is a self-limited condition that must be distinguished from squamous cell carcinoma before invasive treatment. We report here on a rare case of esophageal pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia in a 67-year-old Korean woman with a lye-induced esophageal stricture. Although esophageal pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia is infrequently encountered, pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of esophageal lesions.