CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER SIMULTANEOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH GASTRIC-CANCER

Background and Objectives: We usually use the stomach for esophageal s ubstitution in the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer, although i t is often associated with gastric cancer. In order to improve the lik elihood of safe and curative surgery of esophageal cancer, we investig ated the clinicopathological characteristics of synchronous esophageal and gastric cancer. Methods: Among 288 patients with primary esophage al cancer who had undergone esophageal resection, this cancer was asso ciated with gastric cancer in 11 cases, and 1,416 gastric cancer patie nts operated on during the same period, were analyzed. The clinicopath ological characteristics and surgical procedures of the 1 1 patients w ere compared with those of the other esophageal cancer patients and wi th those with the gastric cancer only. Results: There were significant differences between the synchronous double cancer and the gastric can cer only in sex (P < 0.01) and location of the gastric cancer (P < 0.0 5). All of the patients with the synchronous double cancer were men, a nd the incidence, of patients with cardiac cancer was high. Conclusion s: Our findings suggest that, in cases of synchronous esophageal and g astric cancer, an adequate surgical procedure must be chosen in terms of the stage, location, and operative burden. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc .