Site distribution of oesophagogastric cancer.
OBJECTIVE
It has been suggested that adenocarcinomas of the lower oesophagus and gastric cardia should be reclassified as oesophagogastric junction (OGJ) cancers. This study aimed to define the frequency of OGJ cancers in a geographically defined population of 4.3 million people.


METHODS
All cases of oesophageal and gastric cancer occurring in 1993 were identified by the North Western Regional Cancer Registry. A total of 1192 hospital case notes were reviewed and a study group of 1067 patients was defined. Tumour involvement was documented at individual subsites in the oesophagus and stomach, allowing for tumour presence in more than one oesophageal/gastric subsite.


RESULTS
There were 627 tumours in men and 440 in women. The tumour was confined to the oesophagus in 281 (26.3%) cases and to the stomach in 454 (42.6%) cases. The tumour encroached upon or crossed the OGJ in 332 (31.1%) cases. Overall, tumours involved the cardia, OGJ, or lower oesophagus in 633 (59.3%) cases; in 179 (18.5%) cases the tumour involved the lower oesophagus but not the OGJ, and in another 122 (11.4%) cases the cardia was involved but not the OGJ.


CONCLUSIONS
Oesophagogastric cancers in this population predominantly involve the OGJ, lower oesophagus, and/or cardia.
Byrne
J P
JP
Department of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hope Hospital, Stott Lane, Manchester M6 8HD, UK.
Mathers
J M
JM
Parry
J M
JM
Attwood
S E A
SE
Bancewicz
J
J
Woodman
C B J
CB
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004943:Esophagogastric Junction / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*