Effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for lymph node micrometastasis and tumor cell microinvolvement in the patients with esophageal carcinoma

Micrometastasis (MM) and tumor cell microinvolvement (TCM) in the lymph nod e were immunohistochemically evaluated using the cytokeratin (CK) antibody between a surgery group (n = 20; 929 lymph nodes) and a chemotherapy group (n = 20; 1052 lymph nodes). The incidence of MM +/- TCM in the surgery and chemotherapy groups was 50.0 (10/20) and 55.0% ( 11/20). respectively. Limi ting the analysis to TCM alone revealed that the incidence in the chemother apy group (10.0% 2/20) was significantly lower than that in the surgery gro up (40.0%: 8/20; P = 0.032). Preoperative chemotherapy in this regime was n ot effective, except for some patients with TCM alone. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sc ience ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.