Resectional operations and long-term results in carcinoma of the esophagus.
The 5 year survival rate after resectional operations for carcinoma of the esophagus is still very low. Many factors have been identified as contributing to these poor long-term results. The main factor found in this study, comprising 102 patients undergoing resection out of 125 patients operated upon during a 10 year period, was nonradical resection. The main cause of nonradical resection was invasion of the tumor into the mediastinum, which was observed in 80% of the patients. In 43 of the 102 patients undergoing resection, the penetration of the carcinoma into the tissue surrounding the esophagus was observed only histologically. Thirty-three of the 38 hospital survivors in this group died within 2 years of the operation of recurrence of carcinoma. Fourteen of 17 survivors after resectional operations in whom the tumor growth was still limited to the esophagus were alive from 2 to 9 years (mean 6 years) after the operation, without evidence of recurrence.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local