Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and cardia

Two hundred thirty-nine patients with carcinoma of the esophagus and cardia were seen between 1971 and 1985. Of 128 adenocarcinomas, 108 (84%) were resected. There were 111 squamous cell tumors, of which 104 (94%) were resected. Hospital mortality rate (3 months) was 19.4% in patients with adenocarcinoma and 14.4% in those with squamous cell carcinoma. It was significantly higher in the over 70 age group in both series. The 1 year survival rate in the adenocarcinoma group (52.3%) was lower than in the squamous group (59.1%), which reflects the higher operative mortality rate in the former. The 5 year survival rate was 18% in the adenocarcinoma group and 18.7% in the squamous cell group. With one exception, all patients who survived for 5 years had a Stage I tumor. Although the operative mortality was higher in the adenocarcinoma group, the prognosis was similar to that of the squamous cell carcinoma group.