[Technics of extensive lymph node curettage in cancer of the esophagus]

During esophagectomy for cancer traditional lymph node curettage is performed extensively in the lower region but is practically nonexistent towards the upper zone, which fails to correspond to a satisfactory anatomic and oncologic exeresis. An operative technique has been adopted to extend lymph gland curettage, particularly in the anterior and superior mediastinum in the region of the recurrent and cervical chains. An analysis is performed of the advantages (increased survival) and inconveniences (increased postoperative morbidity) inherent in these extensive lymph node curettages.