Herpetic Esophagitis Mimicking Carcinoma In Situ

Herpes Simplex virus (HSV) type I is a common infectious agent of nongenital areas and has been diagnosed most frequently in esophagitis even in otherwise healthy subjects. Although some mild cellular alterations are commonly seen in this disease they can hardly be so intense as to simulate a carcinoma in situ of squamous epithelium.  We report such a case and call attention to the possibility of an overdiagnosis of cancer. Some observations in literature relating HSV infection. to cancer are also made.