Surgical treatment of concurrent cancer of the esophagus and stomach.

Out of a total of 250 resections for carcinoma of the esophagus done in our department between 1965 and 1983, there were 11 patients with a concurrent esophageal cancer, nine being gastric cancer and seven of them early gastric cancer. In these nine, four underwent resection of the esophagus and lesser curvature of the stomach with gastric tube reconstruction. Two of the four patients are alive 10 and 3 yr postoperatively. We hold the view that detailed preoperative gastric examination is most important to plan the surgical repair and that the small gastric tube may serve as a substitute by resecting the lesser curvature of the stomach in cases of early proximal gastric cancer.