Abstract
Extensive lymphnode dissection combined with thoracic esophagectomy improved prognosis of esophageal cancer, but there is still high postoperative recurrence rate. The immunologic capacity of esophageal cancer patients is compromised by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Therefore immunological therapy for esophageal cancer patients seems rational. We have adopted postoperative immunochemotherapy since 1988. From 1988 to 1992, 31 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer underwent esophagectomy and radical lymphnode dissection, and selected patient with early esophageal cancer and unfit for thoracotomy underwent transhiatal esophagectomy in Korea University Hospital. Mean age of patients was 56 years. There were 28 squamous cell cancers, 2 adenocarcinomas and one mixed tumor. There were 4 stage I, 3 stage II, 18 stage III, and 6 stage IV cases. There were no opeartive death. Postoperative complications included anastomotic leakage in 9%, pneumonia 3 %, cylothorax 3%, recurrent laryngeal neve paresis in 3% of all patients. Curative resection group[n=19] received immunotherapy. Noncurative resection group[n=12] received postoperative immunochemotherapy, including PS-K, CDDP, and 5-FU. Operative survivors were followed from 4 months to 5 years. There were 3 lost of follow-up. Actuarial survival rate is 79% to one year, 54% to two years and 27% to five years.In conclusion, an transthoracic esophagectomy combined with systematic lymph node dissection and postoperative immunochemotherapy could improve survival rate for esophageal cancer.