[Result of surgery of esophageal cancer. Analysis of a series of 349 cases based on resection methods]. / Résultat de la chirurgie du cancer de l'oesophage. Analyse d'une série de 349 cas selon les types d'exérèse.

ABSTRACT

Despite obvious improvements in operative and postoperative management after esophageal resection, surgical treatment of esophageal cancer is still disappointing in terms of long term results. The purpose of the present study was to verify these poor results statistically and to discuss the value of a modified therapeutic approach. Our experience covers 349 esophageal resections performed between 1979 and 1992. These patients were predominantly males (93%) with squamous cell carcinoma (86%). The majority of the patients underwent either an Ivor-Lewis (52%) or an Akiyama procedure (36%). Survival was estimated according to the Kaplan-Meier model. Influence of parameters such as sex, histology, type of resection and TNM-staging was assessed with the "log-rank" test. The perioperative mortality was 10%. The non-fatal morbidity rate was 34%, and was most often related to anastomotic leaks. Pathological staging disclosed a majority of T3 tumors (71%). The overall survival rate was 54% at one year, 28% at 2 years and 9% at 5 years. This survival was not influenced by either histology (squamous cell or adenocarcinoma), the type of resection (Ivor-Lewis or Akiyama procedure). A slightly superior survival rate was observed after Ivor-Lewis procedure and is explained by a lower postoperative complication rate. In particular, diffuse N2 disease (abdominal and mediastinal) had a worse prognosis than localized N2. N1 disease was probably understaged, since survival was comparable to localized N2. The natural history was characterized by development of metastases (43%) rather than by local recurrence. We conclude that these results may justify surgery for palliation of dysphagia in so far as the post-operative morbidity is reduced, as we observed with Ivor-Lewis procedures. However, improvement of long-term survival requires a multimodality oncologic approach.