Lymph node metastases in cancer of the thoracic esophagus.

Curettage of lymph nodes in 36 patients with cancer of the thoracic esophagus was performed in the bilateral supraclavicular, right intrathoracic and abdominal regions. The overall metastatic ratio in lymph nodes was 52.8 percent (19 of 36). It was particularly high in the right supraclavicular nodes (26.7 percent), the paracardial (27.8 percent) nodes, and nodes of the arch of the left gastric artery (19.4 percent) and the celiac axis (16.7 percent). Metastatic lesions were limited to the intrathoracic lymph nodes in 1 of 19 patients with positive nodal metastasis and were accompanied by metastases of the supraclavicular or abdominal nodes in the other 18 patients. In eight (88.9 percent) of nine patients in whom intrathoracic nodal metastases were confirmed, the supraclavicular or abdominal lymph nodes were involved by metastatic lesions. On the other hand, jumping metastasis to the neck or the abdominal lymph nodes without intrathoracic involvement was observed in 27.8 percent.