Questionable resection for carcinoma of the esophagus involving the trachea, bronchus and/or aorta--a comparative and multivariate analysis.

Controversy remains over the comparative efficacy and subsequent prognosis of resections for carcinomas of the esophagus involving the trachea, bronchus, and/or aorta. Results of a multi-variate analysis are reported using clinical data from 103 cases from 1981 to 1987. Based on the survival-rate curves according to the Kaplan-Meier method, resection was superior to non-resection. However, when other prognostic factors were adjusted using Cox's proportional hazards linear model, there was no significant difference between the resection and non-resection groups. This analysis indicates that esophagectomy is not necessarily the best approach for carcinoma of the esophagus involving these adjacent organs, although it must be remembered that resection provides excellent palliation.