title: Esophagogastrectomy for carcinoma: current hospital mortality and morbidity rates.
abstract: Between January 1, 1970, and March 1, 1979, 153 patients with carcinoma of the esophagus or cardia were seen at the Lahey Clinic; 124 (81%) underwent surgical exploration and 102 (82.3%) were found amendable to resection. This report concerns the 82 patients operated on by the senior author, 72 of whom (87.8%) had surgical resection. A variety of resective techniques were used but currently esophagogastrectomy and esophagogastrostomy is preferred, a left thoracotomy being used for low lying lesions; upper thoracic and cervical lesions are approached through a combined abdominal and right thoracic approach or esophagectomy with cervical esophagogastrostomy and without thoracotomy is used. Two deaths occurred within 30 days of operation, a hospital mortality rate of 2.8%. Significant complications developed in 11 patients (15.3%). The average survival was 20.8 months, and satisfactory long-term relief of dysphagia was achieved in 91.2% of patients. An aggressive surgical approach to the management of patients with carcinoma of the esophagus or cardia is justified, for esophagogastrectomy and esophagogastrostomy is applicable to the majority of patients; can now be performed at low risk with a reasonable period of hospitalization; and provides satisfactory long-term palliation.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D002299:Cardia / Q000601:surgery; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D005774:Gastrostomy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*