Carcinosarcoma of the esophagus: a twenty-case study

The present report reviews results from 20 carcinosarcoma patients, and compares them with 773 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus treated surgically at the National Cancer Center Hospital from 1971 to 1988. Although there were no significant differences in age, sex, symptoms or location between the two groups, the carcinosarcoma group had morphological characteristics as follows. (1) Seventy-five percent of the carcinosarcomas were of the elevated type. (2) The tumor was large. (3) The depth of invasion was limited to the esophageal wall in 80% of the carcinosarcomas. The rate of lymph node metastasis was almost the same, at greater than 65%, in both groups. Moreover, lymph node metastasis occurred at various stages, of the depth of invasion in the carcinosarcoma group. The curative resection rate was higher for carcinosarcoma (80%) than for squamous cell carcinoma (46.5%). There was no significant difference in recurrence rate between them. Compared with the high frequency of lymph node recurrence in the squamous cell carcinoma group, the recurrence due to hematogenous metastasis was more frequent in the carcinosarcoma group. Although the three-year survival rate was higher for carcinosarcoma (62.8%) than for squamous cell carcinoma (28.1%), there was no significant difference in the five-year survival rate between them (26.7 vs. 22.4%). In conclusion, radical esophagectomy with lymph node dissection is a necessary therapy for carcinosarcoma, and careful follow-up, paying special attention to hematogenous metastasis, is required.