[Contribution of endosonography to preoperative staging in esophageal and stomach cancer].

A total number of 113 patients with gastroesophageal cancer (47 esophageal cancer, 66 gastric cancer) were examined by endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). The depth of tumor infiltration in the wall, involvement of lymph nodes and spread to adjacent organs were the features particularly stressed on. 61 patients (46 with gastric cancer, 15 with esophageal cancer) underwent radical resection thus enabling a comparative study with the histological findings. The accuracy rate of EUS in determining the depth of infiltration was 85% in esophageal cancers and 77% in gastric cancers. Regarding involvement of lymph nodes, EUS was accurate in 80% of esophageal cancers and in 87% of gastric cancers, whereas CT scan was accurate in 47% and 43% respectively. For detecting spread to adjacent organs EUS was also more accurate than CT scan.