Esophageal leukoplakia

A rare condition that usually affects the middle-to-distal esophagus in middle-aged and elderly people. There is usually a history of tobacco smoking or alcohol intake. Dysphagia is the presenting symptom. Morphologically, the lesions are well-demarcated and are characterized by epithelial hyperplasia, thickened basal layer, prominent granular cell layer, and hyperorthokeratosis. In a minority of patients this condition is associated with adjacent high-grade squamous dysplasia and/or squamous cell carcinoma.