EUS predictors of long-term survival in esophageal carcinoma

EUS is the most accurate nonsurgical modality for the staging of esophageal cancer, but the ability of EUS to predict outcomes or prognosis is unclear. Patients were examined who had EUS performed for esophageal cancer staging to determine which endosonographic features predict survival.

Data on 203 patients undergoing EUS for esophageal cancer staging were studied retrospectively. Median survival was calculated for each T-stage and N-stage and according to the presence or absence of celiac axis (CAx) lymphadenopathy as determined by EUS. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated for each stage and the log-rank test was used to test for significant differences in survival. Multivariate analysis was performed to test for the relative importance in predicting survival of the EUS stages, also considering age, gender, histology, and type of treatment.

Significant differences were found in the ability of EUS-determined T-stage (p = 0.0005), N-stage (p < 0.0001), and presence of CAx nodes (p = 0.0049) to predict survival. Multivariate analysis showed N-stage to predict survival.

Pretreatment EUS can predict survival in esophageal cancer based on initial T-stage, N-stage, and the presence of CAx nodes. The presence of lymphadenopathy at EUS is an important predictor of survival. EUS should be performed in all patients with esophageal cancer, not only for staging patients before therapy, but also as a valuable method of determining prognosis.