A Case of Pharyngoesophageal Diverticulum Carcinoma Complicated by Development of a Deep Neck Abscess

A deep neck abscess is a bacterial infection that most often develops as a complication of upper respiratory infections or dental diseases, but in rare cases, they are secondary to head and neck cancers. Herein, we report a case of pharyngoesophageal diverticulum carcinoma complicated by a deep neck abscess. A 78-year-old man presented with pharyngeal discomfort and difficulty in swallowing. He originally had a pharyngoesophageal diverticulum. CT indicated a deep neck abscess. We performed emergent tracheotomy and surgical drainage. At the time, we thought that the deep neck abscess was secondary to infection of the esophageal diverticulum. Four months after the operation, however, the patient presented with hoarseness of voice, and fiberoptic laryngoscopy revealed right vocal cord paralysis. CT revealed a tumorous lesion on the right side of the esophagus invading the surrounding right lobe of the thyroid gland and trachea. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the tumor suggested squamous cell carcinoma. We performed total laryngopharyngectomy with cervical esophagectomy and bilateral neck dissection. Postoperatively, the patient was diagnosed as having a pharyngoesophageal diverticulum carcinoma (pT4bN2M0).