title: Survival advantage of using autologous blood transfusion during surgery for esophageal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is evidence that blood transfusion is associated with an increased rate of tumor recurrence. This study was conducted to assess the survival advantage of giving autologous blood instead of allogeneic blood during surgery for esophageal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed 62 patients who underwent esophagectomy for thoracic esophageal cancer between January 1991 and February 1995 and received allogeneic blood transfusion, and 61 patients operated on between March 1995 and February 1998, who received autologous blood transfusion. The clinicopathological factors and survival rates were compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinicopathological factors that influenced prognosis were similar in the two groups; however, a definite survival advantage was evident in the autologous blood transfusion group. According to multivariate analyses, the transfusion of allogeneic blood was an independent prognostic factor ( P = 0.0222), as was the presence of metastatic lymph nodes. Patients who received allogeneic blood transfusions perioperatively had more than a twofold greater risk (Hazard ration 2.406) of death over patients who received autologous blood transfusions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Autologous blood transfusion appears to be an independent prognostic factor for the survival of patients with esophageal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, Akita University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Motoyama
authors.forename: Reijiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamata
authors.forename: Michihiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okuyama
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imano
authors.forename: Masakatsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Omokawa
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Motohashi
authors.forename: Jun-Ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ogawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous / Q000009:adverse effects; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000209:etiology; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D016896:Treatment Outcome