Standard resection for cancer of the esophagus and cardia.

Standard techniques of esophagectomy are the most common operations currently performed for cancer of the esophagus and cardia. A review of the recent literature discloses a wide difference in findings and postoperative results. A review of the findings and results in 505 operations for cancer of the esophagus on one surgical service from January 1, 1970 to January 1, 1997 reveals a resectability rate of 90%, a hospital mortality rate of 3.3%, a postoperative complication rate of 33.9%, and an adjusted actuarial 5-year survival rate of 24. 7%. As yet, neither the use of neoadjuvant therapy nor extended techniques or resection, even when applied only in patients with low-grade lesions, have provided convincing evidence of their superiority over standard resection techniques.