ESOPHAGEAL CARCINOMA: IS SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA DIFFERENT DISEASE COMPARED TO ADENOCARCINOMA? A transversal study in a quaternary high volume hospital in Brazil.
BACKGROUND
Esophageal cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality among the neoplasms that affect the gastrointestinal tract. There are several factors that contribute for development of an epidemiological esophageal cancer profile in a population.


OBJECTIVE
This study aims to describe both clinically and epidemiologically the population of patients with diagnosis of esophageal cancer treated in a quaternary attention institute for cancer from January, 2009 to December, 2011, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.


METHODS
The charts of all patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer from January, 2009, to December, 2011, in a Sao Paulo (Brazil) quaternary oncology institute were retrospectively reviewed.


RESULTS
Squamous cell cancer made up to 80% of the cases of esophageal cancer. Average age at diagnosis was 60.66 years old for esophageal adenocarcinoma and 62 for squamous cell cancer, average time from the beginning of symptoms to the diagnosis was 3.52 months for esophageal adenocarcinoma and 4.2 months for squamous cell cancer. Average time for initiating treatment when esophageal cancer is diagnosed was 4 months for esophageal adenocarcinoma and 4.42 months for squamous cell cancer. There was a clear association between squamous cell cancer and head and neck cancers, as well as certain habits, such as smoking and alcoholism, while adenocarcinoma cancer showed more association with gastric cancer and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Tumoral bleeding and pneumonia were the main causes of death. No difference in survival rate was noted between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are different diseases, but both are diagnosed in advanced stages in Brazil, compromising the patients' possibilities of cure.
Departamento de Cirurgia do Aparelho Digestivo do Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. , Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP , Brazil.
Francisco
F
Tustumi
Departamento de Cirurgia do Aparelho Digestivo do Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. , Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP , Brazil.
Flavio Roberto
FR
Takeda
Departamento de Cirurgia do Aparelho Digestivo do Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. , Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP , Brazil.
Cintia Mayumi Sakurai
CM
Kimura
Departamento de Cirurgia do Aparelho Digestivo do Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. , Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP , Brazil.
Rubens Antônio Aissar
RA
Sallum
Departamento de Cirurgia do Aparelho Digestivo do Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. , Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP , Brazil.
Ulysses
U
Ribeiro
Departamento de Cirurgia do Aparelho Digestivo do Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. , Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP , Brazil.
Ivan
I
Cecconello
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D061847:Hospitals, High-Volume; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies