A new procedure for transabdominal resection of esophagocardial cancer and cervical anastomosis obviating thoracotomy.

A new operative technique for esophagocardial cancer was reported with resection and re-establishment of alimentary continuity at cervical esophagus which obviates thoracotomy but still retains adequate removal of the lesion. Ten cases of esophagocardial cancer thus treated were presented and the clinical data were analyed. The distance between esophageal stump and esophagocardial junction measured on the resected specimen ranged from 3.0 to 6.7 cm with an average of 5.1 cm. No remaining tumor cells were detected microscopically on the oral cut margin of the specimen in all cases. To compensate for the inadequated lymph node dissection intensive postoperative adjuvant irradiation and/or chemotherapy was advocated.