The evaluation of submucosal carcinoma of the esophagus as a more advanced carcinoma.
Of 75 patients with superficial esophageal carcinoma, there were 16 cases with epithelial or mucosal, and 59 cases with submucosal, lesions. The incidence of nodal metastasis in patients with epithelial or mucosal carcinoma was zero, and the 5-year survival rate was 100%. However, 13 out of 59 cases (22.0%) with submucosal carcinoma were accompanied by nodal involvement, and the rate of vessel invasion was 27.1% (16/59). Even in 46 cases of submucosal carcinoma without nodal involvement, there were 13 cases (22.1%) with vessel invasion. The 5-year survival rate of the 26 submucosal cases with either nodal metastasis or vessel invasion was 37.6%, and even that of the 33 cases with neither lymph node metastasis nor vessel invasion was 60.0%. On the other hand, of the 74 patients with carcinoma invading the muscularis propria, there were 35 cases (47.3%) without nodal metastasis and 27 cases (36.5%) which were also free of vessel invasion. The 5-year survival rate of the former was 32.6%, and of the latter 33.1%. On the basis of these findings, we wish to emphasize that submucosal carcinoma should be classified as an advanced carcinoma.
Kitamura
K
K
Department of Surgery II, Kyushu University, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan.
Ikebe
M
M
Morita
M
M
Matsuda
H
H
Kuwano
H
H
Sugimachi
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015996:Survival Rate