[Neovascularization around tumors in esophageal carcinoma]

We studied neovascularization around tumors in correlation with other histological findings in 54 resected esophageal carcinomas. The resected materials were divided into positive (more marked) and negative (less marked) vascularization groups according to the degree of neovascularization. So classified, the carcinomas were equally divided. There were significantly more advanced cases of depth of tumor invasion (a-factor) in the positive than in the negative group, and the grade of neovascularization around the tumor tended to increase with the depth of invasion (a-factor). In the a1-3 cases, the rates of nodal metastasis and lymphatic vessel invasion in the positive group were significantly higher than in the negative group. The two-year survival rate of the former appeared to be inferior to the latter. We concluded that neovascularization around a tumor in esophageal carcinoma is an index of tumor malignancy and prognosis.