Giant Esophageal Leiomyoma: Incidentally Found Tumor, on Thoracotomy for Bronchogenic Mediastinal Cyst

Benign tumors of the esophagus are rare accounting for less than10% of esophageal tumor with a prevalence of 0.5%. Leiomyoma is a benign tumor of the esophagus1,4. It is reported that most leiomyomas originate in the inner circular muscle layer of the distal and mid-thoracic esophagus particularly at the esophagogastric junction2. Men are most frequently affected between 20 to 69 years. The peak incidence is in the fifth decade of life. The main symptoms are dysphagia and epigastric pain, but they are not specific for the disease2,4. Esophageal leiomyomas are detected incidentally during the examination of gastrointestinal diseases, of which the majority are identified during endoscopy or radiography3.