[Analysis of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with single lymph node metastasis].
BACKGROUND
We studied cases with single lymph node metastasis from thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.


METHODS
We reviewed the site of nodal metastasis in 73 cases with a single metastatic site.


RESULTS
The lymph node metastases of the upper thoracic cases were located in the cervical, superior mediastinal, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal, and abdominal lymph nodes in 5, 10, 3, 0, and 0 cases, respectively. The lymph node metastases of the middle thoracic cases were located in the cervical, superior mediastinal, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal, and abdominal lymph nodes in 1, 18, 6, 0, and 11 cases, respectively. The depth of tumor in the middle thoracic case that had metastasis in a cervical lymph node was T1b, and the location of the metastatic lymph node was number 104 L. The lymph node metastases of the lower thoracic cases were located in the cervical, superior mediastinal, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal, and abdominal lymph nodes in 0, 2, 2, 4, and 11 cases, respectively. The depth of tumor in the lower thoracic cases with metastasis in a superior mediastinal lymph node was T1b and T4.


CONCLUSIONS
Even in superficial thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cases, distant metastasis was observed at an early stage. Therefore, the range of lymph node dissection should be decided carefully in these cases.
Dept. of Surgery, Division of Digestive Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.
Shingo
S
Nakashima
Atsushi
A
Shiozaki
Hitoshi
H
Fujiwara
Hirotaka
H
Konishi
Shuhei
S
Komatsu
Takeshi
T
Kubota
Daisuke
D
Ichikawa
Kazuma
K
Okamoto
Ryo
R
Morimura
Yasutoshi
Y
Murayama
Yoshiaki
Y
Kuriu
Hisashi
H
Ikoma
Masayoshi
M
Nakanishi
Chouhei
C
Sakakura
Eigo
E
Otsuji
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000077277:Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis