TOTAL ESOPHAGECTOMY FOR EARLY ESOPHAGEAL-CARCINOMA

A series of significant factors related to the excelent immediate postoperative result and extended survival of 2 patients who had undergone total esophagectomy because of early esophageal cancer are analyzed. The size, type and position of the tumor is not important for the prognosis but otherwise the degree of penetration on the wall and its stage. This admits with few variations of different classifications, that what is known as early esophageal carcinoma is the location of the tumor on the mucous and submucous level without muscular invasion, phase I o T -NO-MO. The search in this predisphageal stage can be reached at random by studying deeply any high digestive symptom or by endoscopic-radiologic cadastre, combining endoscopy with lugol dyeing in patients suspicious for their antecedents of being preneoplasic pathology carriers or by endosonography. This method has already been spread out in other countries. In any case, the operated patient presents a satisfactory postoperative and an effective extended life expectancy in this stage. This justifies in a certain way the discredit of the surgery when it takes place in more advanced stages.