[Results of surgical therapy of esophageal cancer]

Between 1973 and 1986, 141 patients with esophageal carcinoma have been operated. The overall resection rate was 59% (83/141). We preferred the operative resection by abdominal and right-sided thoracic approach. Only in 4 patients with generally high risk an abdomino-cervical blind dissection of the esophagus was performed. Reconstruction was done in all cases by oesophago-gastrostomy. During the last 14 years hospital mortality decreased from 36.4% (n = 8/22) in the first 7 years period to 7% (n = 3/43) during the last 4 years. Resection rate increased from 47% in the first to 65% in the second period. The 5 years survival rate of all resected patients was 23.5%.