[Malpighian carcinomas of the thoracic esophagus. Pretherapeutic computed tomographic evaluation]

Fifty cases of epidermoid carcinoma of the thoracic oesophagus were examined by computed tomography (CT). The tumor was located in the lower third of the oesophagus in 15 cases, in the middle third in 24 cases and in the upper third in 11 cases. More than two-thirds of these patients underwent complete surgical exploration. CT provided valuable information on the size of the tumor, its extension to the mediastinum and the presence of distal metastases, but lymph node involvement often remained undetected. Nevertheless, the resectability of the lesions could be predicted in a fairly large number of cases. A new CT classification based on the TNM system is suggested. According to the criteria used, this new system significantly improves staging, with results that are close to the pTNM classification of the American Joint Committee on cancer.