RESULTS OF SURGICAL-TREATMENT OF CANCER O F THE ESOPHAGUS (209 CASES)

We present a series of 209 patients with cancer of the esophagus over a 13-year period. Average age was 61.99 years and 87.56% of the patien ts were male. As for histological type, 59.8% of cases were epidermoid carcinomas and the remaining adenocarcinomas. In 76.55% of cases tumo r stage was III or IV. Operability rate was 81.8% and resectability 57 .89%. The most frequent resective procedure was oesophagogastrectomy t hrough a right thoratomy and laparotomy. Reconstruction of digestive c ontinuity was achieved in 86.77% with the stomach; 53.72 of resections were judged to be <<radical>>. Overall postoperative morbidity was 45 .61%. Respiratory failure and anastomotic leakage accounted for most o f morbidity. Anastomotic leakage was more frequent in patients undergo ing bypass, with cervical anastomosis, and when the reconstruction was performed with the colon. Mortality rate was 14.04%, but fell to 7.69 % in patients undergoing <<radical>> resection. Overall 5-year surviva l was 7.83% and 11.81% in patients undergoing resection. The more rele vant prognostic factor was tumour stage; 5-year survival of patients w ith tumour stage I-II was 27,53%, and 0% for patients with tumour stag e II or IV.