Resection for carcinoma of the oesophagus.

One hundred and seventy-one patients with oesophageal carcinoma were seen in the 7-year period October 1976 to September 1983. One hundred and thirty-three cases (77.8%) were explored with a view to curative resection. This was accomplished in 98 cases (73.6% of explored patients, 57.3% of the entire group). Overall operative mortality was 10.2%. Of patients undergoing curative resection, 9% developed benign strictures which responded to 1-4 dilatations, while 14.8% developed local recurrence which marked the terminal event. After excluding operative deaths, 61.3% of patients survived for 1 year, 27% for 3 years and 17.3% for 5 years. Five-year survival for patients with squamous carcinoma was 36% while that for adenocarcinoma patients was only 3%. It is concluded that curative resection can be accomplished in a selected group of patients dealt with in a specialized unit with low operative mortality. This approach offers the patient good palliation and the best chance of prolonged survival.