Complications and deaths after operations for esophageal carcinoma.

In a series of 908 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, 512 operations were performed on 503 of the patients. Postoperative mortality was the highest after bypass operations, being 41.5%. After palliative resection, mortality was 22.7% and after curative resection, 12.8%. Overall resection in 283 patients resulted in a 17% mortality. The postoperative mortality for all resections for carcinoma at the three levels was as follows: cervical and thoracic inlet, 17.6%; upper thoracic, 16.9%; and lower thoracic, 16.9%. The most frequent causes of death were anastomotic leak and pulmonary complications. Nonfatal complications occurred in 13.3% of the 512 operations.