OBJECTIVE: To identify and describe clinicopathologic prognostic factors in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma who underwent surgical resection with curative intent.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:The study cohort consisted of 796 patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, gastroesophageal junction, or gastric cardia who underwent complete tumor resection at Mayo Clinic from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1997. We reviewed individual patient medical records and abstracted demographic, pathologic, perioperative, and cancer outcome data. Median follow-up for vital status and disease recurrence was 12.8 and 5.8 years, respectively.
RESULTS:Univariate analysis revealed the following factors to be statistically associated with worse 5-year disease-specific survival: higher N and T status, higher tumor grade, age older than 76 years, and the presence of extracapsular lymph node extension and signet ring cells. The following factors remained significantly linked with worse 5-year disease-specific survival on multivariate analysis: higher N and T status, grade, and age and the absence of preoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Anatomic location of tumor was not associated with differential prognosis. Lymph node metastases were found in 25 (27%) of 93 T1b tumors, 397 (85%) of 468 T3 tumors, and 22 (67%) of 33 T4a tumors. Diseasespecific survival was better in T3-4N0 than in T1bN1-3 carcinomas (hazard ratio, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.28-0.89, adjusted for grade and age; P=.02).
CONCLUSION:Our results confirm the importance of T and N status and tumor grade and suggest that age may affect prognosis. In addition, we show that a significant proportion of superficial esophageal adenocarcinomas exhibit regional metastases and have worse prognosis than more invasive nonmetastatic tumors. Proc. 2010;85(12):1080-1089 AIC = Akaike information criterion; AJCC = American Joint Committee on Cancer; CI = confidence interval; DFS = disease-free survival; DSS = disease-specific survival; EAC = esophageal adenocarcinoma; ESCC = esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; GEJ = gastroesophageal junction; HR = hazard ratio; LN = lymph node; OS = overall survival
Mayo Clin
© 2010 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and ResearchT he increase in the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), and gastric cardia in recent decades has been among the highest for any cancer in Western countries. 1 This triad of adenocarcinomas (designated esophageal adenocarcinoma [EAC] in this article) has grown more than 400% in incidence in the past 40 years, paralleling the increase in obesity and gastroesophageal reflux. 2 It is lethal in most cases, yet its degree of aggressiveness also varies from person to person. 3 These statistics signal a need for a better understanding of not only EAC etiology, but its progression and long-term clinical behavior. Understanding and exploiting the heterogeneity in prognosis are critical to improving outcomes in EAC patients and require the study of large cohorts with well-descri...