Tumor length as a prognostic factor in esophageal malignancy: Univariate and multivariate survival analyses

Abstract

Tumor length greater than 3.5 cm (as determined histologically) is associated with worse disease stage and poor overall patient survival. If preoperative endoscopic tumor length bears a similar relationship, this could assist in patient selection for appropriate treatments.

Pre-operative estimation of esophageal tumor metabolic length in FDG-PET images with surgical pathology confirmation

“…Accurate delineation of tumor length is a strong predictor of prognosis [5,6] and vital to the success of radiotherapy so that all macroscopic disease can be incorporated into the high-dose treatment volume [7,8]. At present, tumor length measured by EUS is the method most widely used in the clinical setting.…”

“…An epidemiological-based study showed that tumor length was a strong independent predictor of prognosis in esophageal cancer [5]. More recently, Griffi ths et al [6] have shown that a tumor length greater than 3.5 cm is associated with worse disease stage and poor overall survival. In addition, the management of esophageal cancer is increasingly involving chemoradiotherapy, either in a neoadjuvant setting or as defi nitive therapy.…”

Prognostic role of initial pan-endoscopic tumor length at diagnosis in operable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing esophagectomy with or without neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy

“…Concerning the definition of T-status, the emphasis on tumor length (T1 or clinical stage I: tumor length ≤5 cm; T2 or clinical stage II: tumor length >5 cm length; T3 or clinical stage III: evidence of extra-esophageal spread; AJCC manual, 2nd edition, 1983) had been shifted to the depth of tumor invasion since 1988 (AJCC manual, 3-7th editions, 1988-2010) (4). Recently, the roles of tumor length in ESCC have been reappraised and some showed clinically relevance in the prediction of surgical resectability, survival outcomes, or acting as a criterion to select proper cases for neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (nCCRT) followed by surgical resection (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”

Prognostic significance of endoluminal ultrasound-defined disease length and tumor volume (EDTV) for patients with the diagnosis of esophageal cancer

“…The endoscopically defined length of esophageal tumor has always been considered an important prognostic factor [3], and typically, an operable tumor is considered to be T1 to T3, any N, and M0, with an endoscopic tumor length shorter than 5 cm [4][5][6]. Potentially curative surgery aims at en bloc resection with clear proximal, distal, and circumferential margins and removes a volume of disease dependent on both the size of the tumor and the location of lymph node metastases.…”