title: Location and clinical impact of solitary lymph node metastasis in patients with thoracic esophageal carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The location and clinical impact of solitary lymph node metastasis from thoracic esophageal carcinoma have not been evaluated sufficiently.
  
  
  METHODS
  A consecutive series of 91 patients with a solitary positive lymph node who underwent curative surgery for thoracic esophageal carcinoma was investigated. The prognostic impact was evaluated by univariate analysis and multivariate analysis using Cox's proportional hazards model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 52 (57%) of the 91 patients showed a solitary positive node beyond the thorax. While 29% of the patients with an upper thoracic tumor showed a cervical node, 13% of the patients with a middle tumor and none of the patients with a lower tumor showed a cervical node. Tumor depth and venous invasion were found to be independent risk factors for poor survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The solitary positive lymph nodes were broadly distributed depending on the tumor location and tumor depth. Tumor depth and venous invasion were risk factors for poor survival in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Frontier Surgery, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuou-ku, Chiba 260-8677, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Shin-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okazumi
authors.forename: Hisahiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nabeya
authors.forename: Tooru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiratori
authors.forename: Kiyohiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shuto
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akutsu
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanizawa
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Takenori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ochiai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D016629:Esophagectomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013909:Thorax