Evaluation of lymphatic spread, visceral metastasis and tumoral local invasion in esophageal carcinomas / Avaliação da disseminação linfonodal, metástases à distância e invasão local do carcinoma esofágico

ABSTRACT Background: Knowing esophageal tumors behavior in relationship to lymph node involvement, distant metastases and local tumor invasion is of paramount importance for the best esophageal tumors management. Aim: To describe lymph node involvement, distant metastases, and local tumor invasion in esophageal carcinoma, according to tumor topography and histology. Methods: A total of 444 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and 105 adenocarcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into four groups: adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in the three esophageal segments: cervical, middle, and distal. They were compared based on their CT scans at the time of the diagnosis. Results: Nodal metastasis showed great relationship with of primary tumor site. Lymph nodes of hepatogastric, perigastric and peripancreatic ligaments were mainly affected in distal tumors. Periaortic, interaortocaval and portocaval nodes were more commonly found in distal squamous carcinoma; subcarinal, paratracheal and subaortic nodes in middle; neck chains were more affected in cervical squamous carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma had a higher frequency of peritoneal involvement (11.8%) and liver (24.5%) than squamous cell carcinoma. Considering the local tumor invasion, the more cranial neoplasia, more common squamous invasion of airways, reaching 64.7% in the incidence of cervical tumors. Middle esophageal tumors invade more often aorta (27.6%) and distal esophageal tumors, the pericardium and the right atrium (10.4%). Conclusion: Esophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in different topographies present peculiarities in lymph node involvement, distant metastasis and local tumor invasion. These differences must be taken into account in esophageal cancer patients' care.

RESUMO Racional: Conhecer o comportamento das neoplasias esofágicas em relação à disseminação linfonodal, distribuição de metástases e invasão local do tumor, pode auxiliar o manejo dos pacientes. Objetivo: Descrever o envolvimento linfonodal, disseminação metastática e invasão local dos carcinomas esofágicos, de acordo com a topografia e o tipo histológico do tumor. Método: Pacientes com diagnóstico de carcinoma espinocelular de esôfago (n=444) e adenocarcinoma de esôfago (n=105) foram retrospectivamente analisados. Foram divididos em quatro grupos: adenocarcinoma e carcinoma espinocelular do segmento cervical, médio e distal. Tais grupos foram comparados baseando-se em tomografias computadorizadas realizadas no momento do diagnóstico. Resultados: Disseminação linfonodal mostrou grande associação com topografia do tumor. Linfonodos do ligamento hepatogástrico, perigástricos e peripancreáticos foram acometidos principalmente por tumores de esôfago distal; linfonodos periaórticos, interaortocavais, portocavais no carcinoma espinocelular de esôfago distal; e linfonodos subcarinais, paratraqueais, subaórticos nos tumores de esôfago médio. Cadeias cervicais foram acometidas por espinocelulares cervicais. Adenocarcinoma teve maior frequência de acometimento peritoneal (11,8%) e hepático (24,5%) do que carcinoma espinocelular. Considerando invasão tumoral local, quanto mais cranial a neoplasia, mais comum a invasão do espinocelular em vias aéreas, chegando à incidência de 64,7% nos tumores cervicais. Tumores de esôfago médio invadem mais frequentemente aorta (27,6%) e tumores de esôfago distal, o pericárdio e átrio direito (10,4%). Conclusões: Adenocarcinoma e carcinoma espinocelular de esôfago em diferentes topografias apresentam peculiaridades na disseminação linfática, metástases à distância e invasão local do tumor. Tais diferenças devem ser consideradas no manejo do paciente com carcinoma esofágico.

Metastatic lymph node ratio, 6th or 7th AJCC edition: witch is the best lymph node classification for esophageal cancer? Prognosis factor analysis in 487 patients / Índice de metástase linfonodal da 6a ou 7a edição do AJCC: qual é a melhor classificação linfonodal para o câncer de esôfago? Uma análise de fatores prognósticos em 487 pacientes

BACKGROUND: The esophageal cancer is one of the most common and aggressive worldwide. Recently, the AJCC changed the staging system, considering, among others, the important role of the lymph node metastasis on the prognosis. AIM: To discuss the applicability of different forms of lymph node staging in a western surgical center. METHODS: Four hundred eighty seven patients with esophageal cancer were enrolled. Three staging systems were evaluated, the 6th and the 7th AJCC editions and the Lymph Node Metastatic Ratio. RESULTS: The majority of the cases were squamous cell carcinoma. The mean lymph node sample was eight. Considering the survival, there was no significant difference between the patients when they were classified by the 7th AJCC edition. Analysis of the Lymph Node Metastatic Ratio, just on the group of patients with 0 to 25%, has shown significant difference (p=0,01). The 6th AJCC edition shows the major significant difference between among the classifications evaluated. CONCLUSION: In this specific population, the 7th AJCC edition for esophageal cancer was not able to find differences in survival when just the lymph node analysis was considered. .

RACIONAL: O câncer de esôfago é um dos mais comuns e agressivos que existem. Recentemente o AJCC mudou o sistema de estadiamento, considerando, entre outros fatores, a importância da metástase linfonodal sobre o prognóstico. OBJETIVO: Discutir a aplicabilidade de diferentes formas de estadiamento linfonodal em um serviço de cirurgia ocidental. MÉTODOS: Quatrocentos e oitenta e sete pacientes com câncer de esôfago foram arrolados. Três estadiamentos foram avaliados, a 6a e a 7a Edição do AJCC e o Índice de Metástase Linfonodal. RESULTADOS: A maioria foi casos foi composta por carcinoma epidemóide. A média de amostra linfonodal foi de oito. Considerando a sobrevida, não houve diferença significativa entre os pacientes quando foram classificados pela 7a Edição do AJCC. Analisando o Índice de Metástase linfonodal, apenas o grupo de pacientes com 0-25% mostrou diferença significativa (p=0,01). A 6a Edição do AJCC mostrou a maior diferença entre as classificações avaliadas. CONCLUSÃO: Considerando as características da amostra, a nova classificação do AJCC não foi capaz de evidenciar diferenças significativas na sobrevida dos pacientes, quando apenas o estadiamento linfonodal foi avaliado. .

The Clinical Significance of the Right Para-Oesophageal Lymph Nodes in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

PURPOSE: Although guidelines indicate that routine dissection of the central lymph nodes in patients with thyroid carcinoma should include the right para-oesophageal lymph nodes (RPELNs), located between the right recurrent laryngeal nerve and the cervical oesophagus and posterior to the former, RPELN dissection is often omitted due to high risk of injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the right inferior parathyroid gland. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified all patients diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent total thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection, including the RPELNs, between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013 at the Thyroid Cancer Center of Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. RESULTS: Of 5556 patients, 148 were positive for RPELN metastasis; of the latter, 91 had primary tumours greater than 1 cm (p<0.001). Extrathyroidal extension by the primary tumour (81.8%; p<0.001), bilaterality, and multifocality were more common in patients with than without RPELN metastasis; however, there were no significant differences in age and sex between groups. A total of 95.9% of patients with RPELN metastasis had central node (except right para-oesophageal lymph node) metastasis, and the incidence of lateral neck node metastasis was significantly higher in patients with than without RPELN metastasis (63.5% vs. 14.3%, p<0.001). Forty-one patients underwent mediastinal dissection, with 11 patients confirmed as having mediastinal lymph node metastasis with RPELN metastasis on pathological examination. CONCLUSION: RPELN metastasis is significantly associated with lateral neck and mediastinal lymph node metastasis.

Sclerosing Mucoepidermoid carcinoma with eosinophilia of the thyroid glands: a case report with clinical manifestation of recurrent neck mass

Sclerosing mucoepidermoid carcinoma with eosinophilia (SMECE) is a recently recognized malignant neoplasm of the thyroid gland. About 14 cases of SMECE have been reported and this is the first reported case in Korea. A 57-year-old woman presented with right neck mass for 20 years. Total thyroidectomy was performed under the impression of thyroid carcinoma. The resected thyroid gland showed a poorly circumscribed hard mass. Histologically, the tumor consisted of solid nests of large atypical cells with dense fibrous stroma. The tumor cells showed squamoid appearance with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm. There were also rare mucin-containing cells within the nests. Within the hyalinized stroma, numerous eosinophils were found. The surrounding thyroid parenchyma displayed Hashimoto's thyroiditis. There was metastasis in a regional lymph node. Two years after initial surgery, she underwent a modified radical neck dissection due to recurrent neck mass. After the radiation therapy for eight weeks, laryngectomy and esophagectomy were performed due to a recurrent carcinoma in the esophageal wall. We report an additional case of SMECE, with metastasis to regional lymph nodes and esophagus. The tumor appears to be more aggressive than previously reported and a correct diagnosis can be rendered by just examining the metastatic lesions.

Resección del carcinoma de esófago con exteriorización parietal / Resection of esophagus carcinoma with parietal extended (T4)

En una serie de 34 pacientes se efectuó la resección del carcinoma de esófago con exteriorización parietal utilizando la técnica transhiatal con reemplazo gástrico tubulizado. Diecinueve casos correspondieron al tercio superior, 7 al tercio medio y 10 al tercio inferior. La tráquea en 9 casos, la aorta en 7, los bronquios fuentes en 5 y el pericardio, carina y columna vertebral fueron los órganos comprometidos. Hubo 9 (26,4 por ciento) decesos postoperatorios, destacando que el 77,7 por ciento ocurrieron en el inicio de nuestra experiencia. Las complicaciones más frecuentes fueron el neumotórax, neumonía, fístula anastomótica cervical y la efracción de la cápsula esplénica. La supervivencia alejada no actuarial fue de 15,8 meses para toda la serie. Por estadío tumoral le correspondió al grupo T4N0M0 un promedio de vida de 39,5 meses, al T4N1M0 de 11,6 meses y al T4N1M1 de 5,3 meses. Se efectúan consideraciones sobre el método así como comparaciones con otras técnicas de paliación. En base a los resultados obtenidos se concluye que la resección de tumores localmente avanzados por vía cervicoabdominal es una técnica que debe estar incluida en el armamentario quirúrgico de todo cirujano esofágico.

Cáncer gástrico temprano como tumor metacrónico o sincrónico. Presentacion de seis casos / Early gastric cancer as a metachronic or synchronic tumor. Report of 6 cases

Through a period of 16 years, 108 cases of early gastric cancer (EGC) were diagnosed at Hospital Mexico, a leading teaching hospital of Costa Rica's social security system and the University of Costa Rica. It was found that in four cases, the gastric neoplasia was a second primary tumor, and in the two remaining cases, the EGC developed synchronously to another neoplasm. Two of the four metachronic EGC were preceded by a uterine cervix neoplasm on stage lla; the third one was preceded by a breast adenocarcinoma, and the fourth one by a larynx cancer in a heavy male smoker. The treatment received for the first cancer was radiation therapy only, except for the breast cancer patient in whom surgery was employed as well. One of the patients with uterine cervix cancer developed an epidermoid bronchogenic cancer 17 years after the first tumor and 8 years after her EGC. In the two male patients with synchro tumors, the EGC developed together with a squasmous cell carcinoma of esophagus, and in the remaining one the EGC appeared simultaneously with a peritoneal mesothelioma. It is important to emphasize the presence of radiation therapy in the metachronous tumors, as well as the antecedent of smoking in the patient with three primary cancers, the esophagus one, and the larynx cancer patient.