[The prognostic significance of the anatomical forms of esophageal cancer].

Among the great variety of anatomic patterns of esophageal cancer growth, three basic patterns--exophytic, mixed and endophytic--should be distinguished. Anatomic pattern of growth is one of the basic prognostic criteria for tumor stage assessment. This finding is supported by five-year survival evidence for cases of radical surgery: 58.8 +/- 10% with exophytic form, 16.6 +/- 10%--ulcerative infiltrative and 3.3 +/- 6% with diffuse infiltrative pattern of tumor growth.