Clinicopathological features and prognostic analysis of esophageal sarcomatoid carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of a rare histological type of esophageal cancer-sarcomatoid carcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinicopathological data of 31 patients with esophageal sarcomatoid carcinoma who underwent surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from Jan 2000 to Dec 2009 were collected and analyzed. The survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the patients underwent surgery. Of the 31 patients, one received preoperative chemoradiotherapy and postoperative chemotherapy, and 8 received postoperative chemotherapy. All the tumors were located in the middle or lower esophagus. Microscopically, the tumors were composed of both carcinomatous and sarcomatous components, and there was a transition between the two components, but no obvious heterogenous elements such as osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma or rhabdomyosarcoma were found. In the carcinomatous components, positive expression of CK and EMA was found in all the 31 cases, and positive expression of vimentin in 5 of the 31 cases. In the sarcomatous components, positive expression of CK, EMA and vimentin was found in 29, 28 and 23 cases, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 80.6%, 55.9% and 33.4%, respectively, and the median survival time was 40 months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Esophageal sarcomatoid carcinoma is a particular type of esophageal malignancy with unique clinicopathological features. The diversity and complexity of the carcinomatous and sarcomatous components and their potential of transformation and differentiation lead to different prognosis from each other.</p>

Related factors of right recurrent nerve nodal involvement in esophageal cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the related factors of right recurrent nerve nodal involvement in esophageal cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>280 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer received esophagectomy and right recurrent nerve node dissection. The clinicopathological data were analyzed retrospectively. Univariate data were analyzed by chi-square test, and multivariate data were analyzed by logistic regression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The right recurrent nerve nodal metastasis was found in 76 cases (27.1%, 76/280). In the 979 excised right recurrent nerve nodes, metastases were found in 118 nodes (12.1%). The tumor staging, the total number of involved lymph nodes, vascular invasion, the number of lymph node metastases in the thorax, the number of lymph node metastasis in the abdomen, subcarinal node metastasis, and peri-esophageal lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors of right recurrent nerve node metastasis in esophageal carcinoma.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Right recurrent nerve lymph nodes should be dissected in those patients with high risk factors of lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal carcinoma.</p>