title: Clinicopathological characteristics of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in patients younger than 50 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study clarifies age differences in clinicopathologic characteristics and risk factor exposure of patients who have undergone esophagectomy for esophageal cancer (EC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical results of esophagectomy were compared between 22 patients younger than 50 years of age (Group I) and 327 patients older than 50 years of age (Group II) with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The two groups did not significantly differ in clinicopathological characteristics, including prognosis. Postoperative pulmonary complication incidence rates were 4.2 % (Group I) and 14.4 % (Group II). In Group I, the incidence of multiple ECs was 36.4 %, and association with head and neck cancer was 31.8 %, which were significantly higher than in Group II (13.4 %, p = 0.021; and 9.2 %, p = 0.015, respectively). Furthermore, the patients in Group I with multiple cancers were almost all heavy smokers and/or users of alcohol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that multiple upper aerodigestive tract cancers are associated with heavy exposure to risk factors in patients younger than 50 years of age.
authors: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Yuta
authors: Y
authors: Kasagi
authors: Masaru
authors: M
authors: Morita
authors: Hajime
authors: H
authors: Otsu
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Kawano
authors: Koji
authors: K
authors: Ando
authors: Yukiharu
authors: Y
authors: Hiyoshi
authors: Shuhei
authors: S
authors: Ito
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Miyamoto
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Saeki
authors: Eiji
authors: E
authors: Oki
authors: Yoshihiko
authors: Y
authors: Maehara
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016629:Esophagectomy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate