The authors report the case of a 62-year-old male with a 4 month history of weight loss and a 2 day complaint of weakness and paresthesia on the lower limbs. A computed tomography myelogram revealed a mass in the posterior mediastinum associated with destruction of the vertebral body, spinal canal extension and irregular esophageal wall thickening. The patient was later submitted to a barium esophagogram that showed an irregular filling defect. A biopsy confirmed the presence of a squamous cell carcinoma. This is the first report in the Latin-American literature (Lilacs) of a patient with an esophageal carcinoma with spinal canal extension and spinal cord compression syndrome at initial presentation.

Keywords: Esophageal neoplasms, Spinal cord compression, Carcinoma, Squamous cell. Myelography