Prognostic factors after extended esophagectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus.

BACKGROUNDS AND OBJECTIVES: In Japan, extended esophagectomy with extensive lymphadenectomy has become the standard surgical procedure for carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus. Although mortality and morbidity rates after such extensive esophagectomy have been acceptable, the long-term outcomes are not necessarily satisfactory.

METHODS: Among 235 patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus between June 1981 and March 1998, 143 patients (60.9%) underwent extended esophagectomy with extensive lymphadenectomy. To exclude the effects of surgery-related postoperative complications, 14 patients who died within 90 days after operation were excluded. Thus, clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of 129 patients were retrospectively investigated.

RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were alive and free of cancer. Sixty-six patients died: 37 of recurrence of the esophageal cancer and 29 of other causes. The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year overall survival rates in the 129 patients were 78.8%, 53.5%, 45.8%, and 30.9%, respectively, and the disease-specific survival rates were 85.7%, 69.1%, 67.9%, and 56.2%, respectively. The factors influencing the disease-specific survival rate were tumor location (upper third vs. non-upper third), Borrmann classification (0, 1 vs. 2, 3), size of tumor (3.0 cm), depth of invasion (T1, 2 vs. T3, 4), number of lymph node metastases (0 or 1 vs. >/=2), time of operation (420 min), amount of blood transfused (/=3 U), lymph vessel invasion (marked vs. not marked), and blood vessel invasion (marked vs. not marked). Among those significant variables, independent prognostic factors for survival determined by multivariate analysis were number of lymph node metastases (P < 0.001), amount of blood transfusions (P = 0.0016), and tumor location (P = 0.0382).

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a single metastatic node after extended esophagectomy should be considered to have excellent prognosis, like patients with pN0 tumors. Patients with multiple involved nodes should receive aggressive postoperative adjuvant treatments. Reduced blood loss during extended esophagectomy and minimal blood transfusions might improve the outcome of curative esophageal resections.