Primary oat cell carcinoma of the oesophagus.

Three cases of oat cell carcinoma of the oesophagus are presented and published reports reviewed. This is mainly a disease of older age with a 3:2 predominance of men. Of all published cases, 43 (47.3%) occurred in the middle third, 41 (45.1%) in the lower third, and four (4.4%) in the upper third. In one case it was multifocal and in two the location was not stated. Dysphagia was the most common symptom and was found in 82.5% of cases. Overall survival was 4.7 months. The longest survival in a patient treated by resection was 24 months and in a patient treated by chemotherapy 11 months. All but one of the patients had widely disseminated metastatic disease at death. It is concluded that surgery, possibly with adjuvant chemotherapy, holds out the best prospect for such patients.