Carcinoma of the cervical esophagus: diagnosis, management, and results.

Nine of 168 patients (5.3%) with carcinoma of the esophagus had primary tumors in the cervical esophagus. The principal symptoms and signs of carcinoma of the cervical esophagus were dysphagia, hoarseness, neck mass, and weight loss. The esophagogram was a very reliable study, revealing the abnormality in all nine patients. The true extent of the disease was better delineated by computerized tomography which demonstrated not only the intraluminal mass but also the extraesophageal spread. Endoscopic examination of the cervical esophagus was the definitive procedure to establish the diagnosis. All nine patients were treated with definitive radiotherapy, three surviving two to five years. The major cause of death was the failure to control local disease.