Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma after gastrectomy for benign ulcer disease

Of 684 patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus in 1982-1993, 19 (2.8%) had previously undergone partial gastrectomy for benign ulcer disease. The average interval between gastrectomy and diagnosis of oesophageal carcinoma was 14 years. In six of the 19 (31.6%) cases the carcinoma was in the lower thoracic oesophagus, an incidence not significantly higher than the 25% in the total series. The oesophageal resectability rates were 52.6% in the gastrectomized patients and 44.4% in the total series (intergroup difference not significant). Of the ten gastrectomized patients who underwent oesophageal resection, only one had oesophagitis at the oesophagogastric junction, without significant histologic characteristics. The relationship between oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and previous gastrectomy for benign ulcer disease may be incidental.