Objectives-Esophagectomy is the standard treatment for T1 esophageal cancer (EC). With an increasing interest in endoscopic therapies particularly for T1 EC, our objectives were to evaluate the long term outcomes following esophagectomy and to examine the pathological features of T1 cancer in detail to determine the suitability for potential endoscopic therapy.Methods-We reviewed the outcomes of esophagectomy in 100 consecutive patients with T1 EC. The primary endpoints studied were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). In addition to detailed pathology review, we evaluated prognostic variables associated with survival.Results-Esophagectomy was performed in 100 patients (79 men, 21 women; median age 68 years) for T1 EC (adenocarcinoma 91, squamous 9; intramucosal (T1a):29, submucosal (T1b):71). The 30 day mortality was 0%. Resection margins were microscopically negative in 99% (99/100) of patients. N1 disease was present in 21 patients (T1a:2/29(7%); T1b:19/71(27%)), associated high-grade dysplasia in 64/100 (64%) and angiolymphatic invasion in 19/100 (19%) of patients. At a median follow-up of 66 months, estimated 5-year OS and 3-year DFS were 62% and 80%, respectively, for all patients (including N1). Nodal status and tumor size were significantly associated with overall survival and disease-free survival, respectively.Conclusions-Esophagectomy can be performed safely in patients with T1 cancer with good long term results. Many patients with T1 EC have several risk factors which may preclude adequate treatment with endoscopic therapy. Further prospective studies are required to evaluate endoscopic therapies. Esophagectomy should continue to remain the standard treatment in patients with T1 EC.

In contrast to video cystometry, ambulatory urodynamics provides objective evidence of clinically important bladder overactivity in the majority of women with symptoms suggestive of bladder overactivity. The correlation of symptoms with ambulatory urodynamic findings implies that greater reliance may be placed on symptomatic diagnosis of bladder overactivity. Improved objective assessment of detrusor function provided by ambulatory urodynamics has implications for the definition of bladder overactivity and relevance of conventional cystometry in this context. In women who complain of urgency stable conventional cystometrography findings should be interpreted with caution.

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