Lye corrosion carcinoma of the esophagus: a review of 63 cases.

Clinical material and the results of treatment of 63 esophageal lye corrosion carcinoma patients are presented below. The mean age of patients at lye ingestion was 6.2 years; the mean latent time between lye corrosion and esophageal carcinoma was 41 years. The later the lye was ingested the earlier carcinoma of the esophagus appeared. Eighty-four percent of carcinomas(all of which were of histologically squamous cell type) were found to be in the bronchial bifurcation area of the esophagus. Sixty-eight percent of lye corrosion carcinoma patients had been treated with resection or radiotherapy (over 4000 rads). Every tenth patient of whole material had surveved for over seven years. Both surgery and radiotherapy as practiced in our clinics had better survival rates than for previous esophageal carcinoma series.