Recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus after curative surgery: rates and patterns on imaging studies correlated with tumour location and pathological stage.

Many factors have been related to recurrence after resection of squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus. These include age, gender, location and local stage of tumours, cell differentiation, lymph node metastasis and vascular involvement. The recurrence rates of squamous cell carcinoma after curative surgery are high (34-79%). Tumour recurrence is categorized as locoregional or distant. Lymph node recurrence and haematogenous metastasis to solid organs (commonly to the lung) are the usual patterns of recurrence. Awareness of recurrence patterns, particularly on imaging studies, is essential for the diagnosis of recurrent tumours on follow-up examinations.