Cancer of the esophagus. An incidence study of Côte d'Or (Burgundy)

The registry of digestive cancer set up for the French department of Côte d'Or (455, 727) enables a morbidity study about esophageal cancer to be made among residents. The crude animal incidence rate was 16.7/100,000 for males and 1.2/100,000 for females. Corresponding age-standardized rates were 13.2 and 0.5. The sex ratio is extremely high. Among other cancer registries Côte d'Or is in the intermediate range for males, and in the low range for females. 40% of tumors were in the middle third, 37% in the lower third, and 23% in the upper third. Most cancers were squamous cell carcinomas (94%). The risk of an associated aerodigestive tract tumor is important (16%). 10% of patients were operated upon for cure, 53% had radiotherapy. The 1 year crude survival rate was 25%.