Two cases of pseudo-achalasia with lung cancer: Case report and short literature review

Pseudo-achalasia with lung cancer is a rare complication. We present 2 cases of pseudo-achalasia with lung cancer and summarize previous reports. The previous reports suggested that lung cancer can be complicated with pseudo-achalasia caused by paraneoplastic neurological syndromes rather than direct invasion of the tumor cells to the lower esophageal sphincter, irrespective of the histology of the lung cancer; this can strongly influence the performance status. Treatment for pseudo-achalasia improves not only the symptoms, but also the performance status. Therefore, pseudo-achalasia should be considered when lung cancer patients present with dysphagia without other known causes.