title: Five-year survival of patients treated for esophageal cancer at the Institute of Oncology in Ljubljana in the years 1960-1989.
abstract: In last decades, the incidence of esophageal cancer in the male as well as female population of Slovenia has been increasing moderately. The number of long-term survivals is rather low. The treatment results of 13/714 (1.8%) 5-year survivors with esophageal cancer treated during the years 1960-1989 at the Institute of Oncology were analyzed. Different treatment modalities were used; the majority of patients were treated by using a combination of surgery, irradiation and chemotherapy. The analysis failed to establish a reliable cause of their significantly longer survival. Five years from the beginning of therapy 10/13 patients were alive without evidence of disease. Three patients developed a recurrence or another primary cancer. Longer survivals are probably attributable to a favorable treatment response associated with permanent or long-lasting disease free intervals and later recurrence. Longer and more frequent survivals can be expected with early stages and more effective, combined therapy for esophageal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Univ. Medical Center, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Benulic
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stanovnik
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hrabar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cerar
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jancar
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D017524:Slovenia; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016019:Survival Analysis