The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 19, 688-697, Copyright © 1975 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Esophageal carcinoma. The value of staging in long-term survival
JO Just-Viera and JE Silva
A three-stage study of 177 patients in Puerto Rico who had esophageal
carcinoma is presented. Those surviving five or more years over a
twenty-one-year period were located. Next, the experience at the San Juan
City Hospital from 1968 to 1973 was examined. The information obtained from
those two groups led to the last stage, a prospective study in which
treatment was based on objective staging of the extent of the disease. Only
27% of these patients are really potentially curable upon admission to the
hospital, and they should have aggressive therapy. Adequate palliation can
be obtained with radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the remainder. The
findings that nearly half of the five-year survivors had metastases or
tumor extension and that some patients survived for prolonged periods
without treatment emphasize the need for individualized treatment and
research in tumor immunology.