title: Impact of lymph node metastases in esophageal carcinoma patients is independent of patient age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the present study was to define the clinicopathological features and prognosis of esophageal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2004 and 2009, 128 patients with esophageal cancer were enrolled in a retrospective database and divided into two groups on the basis of number positive lymph nodes with the cut-off as four.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings for 18 patients (14.0%) Group A were compared with those of 110 patients Group B. In the group A, there were significantly more women (12/6 vs. 54/56, P < 0.001). In both groups, the most frequent histological morphology was squamous cell carcinoma (83% and 75%, respectively), although the percentages were significantly different (P < 0.005). In the group A, lesions were more frequently located in the middle one-third of the esophagus than in the group B (61% vs. 28%, P < 0.001). Group A was more likely to be Stage IIa. Survival rates in group A patients at 5 years after resection were 15.8%, similar to those in group B patients (12.1%, difference not significant). Local lymph node metastases and microscopic residual tumor at the line of resection were also more prevalent in the young patients, but not to a statistically significant degree.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggested that the clinical and pathologic features of carcinomas of the esophagus in young patients do not significantly differ from those in older patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Van Training and Research Hospital, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abidin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sehitogullari
authors.forename: Oztekin
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cikman
authors.forename: Fuat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sayir
authors.forename: Ufuk
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Cobanoglu
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.forename: Halit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demir
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D000367:Age Factors; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome