title: Treatment and outcome of young patients with esophageal cancer in the Netherlands.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Esophageal cancer is increasingly recognized in younger patients. We compared clinicopathological characteristics, treatment, and survival of patients aged ≤50 years with patients aged >50 years diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  From the nationwide Netherlands Cancer Registry we identified all patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer between January 2000 and January 2011. Proportions were compared using the χ(2) test for categorical variables. Overall and relative survival was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven percent of the patients (n = 1,466) were aged ≤50 years and adenocarcinoma was the most common tumor type (73.6%). Grade of tumor differentiation was comparable between both age groups (P = 0.460) as well as T-stage (P = 0.058). Younger patients presented more often with positive lymph nodes (70.1% vs. 66.4%, P = 0.010) and distant metastasis (50.5% vs. 44.7%, P < 0.001) but had surgery more often as compared to older patients: 40.6% versus 37.9%, P = 0.047. There was no significant difference in the 5-year relative survival between both age groups: 18.1% versus 17.2%, P > 0.05. A subgroup analysis among patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma revealed similar results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Young patients with esophageal cancer present with more advanced disease stage and received more often treatment. However, they show comparable relative survival rates with their older counterparts.
authors: Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Anna M J
authors: AM
authors: van Nistelrooij
authors: Liza N
authors: LN
authors: van Steenbergen
authors: Manon C W
authors: MC
authors: Spaander
authors: Hugo W
authors: HW
authors: Tilanus
authors: J Jan B
authors: JJ
authors: van Lanschot
authors: Valery E P P
authors: VE
authors: Lemmens
authors: Bas P L
authors: BP
authors: Wijnhoven
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009426:Netherlands; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012042:Registries; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: esophageal cancer; surgical treatment; young patients