Clinicopathological features of esophageal cancer simultaneously associated with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

We usually use the stomach for esophageal substitution in the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer, although it is often associated with gastric cancer. In order to improve the likelihood of safe and curative surgery of esophageal cancer, we investigated the clinicopathological characteristics of synchronous esophageal and gastric cancer.

METHODS

Among 288 patients with primary esophageal cancer who had undergone esophageal resection, this cancer was associated with gastric cancer in 11 cases, and 1,416 gastric cancer patients operated on during the same period, were analyzed. The clinicopathological characteristics and surgical procedures of the 11 patients were compared with those of the other esophageal cancer patients and with those with the gastric cancer only.

RESULTS

There were significant differences between the synchronous double cancer and the gastric cancer only in sex (P < 0.01) and location of the gastric cancer (P < 0.05). All of the patients with the synchronous double cancer were men, and the incidence of patients with cardiac cancer was high.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that, in cases of synchronous esophageal and gastric cancer, an adequate surgical procedure must be chosen in terms of the stage, location, and operative burden.