SURGICAL RESECTION FOR STAGE-I CANCER OF THE ESOPHAGUS AND CARDIA

A study was carried out to establish the long-term survival of patients with stage I carcinoma of the oesophagus and cardia, and to assess the influence of various factors on the 5-year survival rate. The study, which was partly prospective and partly retrospective, involved 60 patients with early (stage I) carcinoma of the oesophagus or cardia from a total of 811 consecutive patients with such carcinomas who were referred to lone regional centre over a 15-year period, 425 of whom underwent resection. Survival at 5 years was taken as the main measure of outcome. Forty-two patients (70 per cent) were alive at 5 years. None of the factors studied (sex, age, site or histological type of tumour) had a significant effect on outcome.