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Tracheal bronchus, directly arising from the abnormal tracheal wall, is a rare congenital anomaly of the airway. Lung cancer developing in a tracheal bronchus is even more rare. A 68-year-old man had a mass shadow over the right upper lung on chest radiography. Bronchoscopy revealed an abnormally displaced bronchus stemming from the right side of the tracheal wall, 2 cm above the carina. Arising from this tracheal bronchus was a tumor, a biopsy of which showed squamous cell carcinoma. During surgery, a bronchus arising from the right lateral wall of the trachea and supplying the apical segment of the right upper lobe was found. There was a tumor occluding the lumen of the tracheal bronchus, causing distal obstructive pneumonitis. The patient underwent right upper lobectomy with closure of the tracheal bronchus and radical lymph node dissection. The subsequent pathologic examination of the specimen revealed squamous cell carcinoma with surrounding pneumonitis. Bronchogenic cancers developing in a tracheal bronchus are rarely reported in the English language literature. Surgical resection appears to be the treatment of choice.

Although the serum level of soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha (sIL-2Ralpha) has been shown to correlate with progression and prognosis of several cancers, data to support its clinical significance to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are limited. This study was conducted to assess the prognostic value and source of sIL-2Ralpha in patients with ESCC. From January 1986 to June 1997, 125 patients with histopathologically confirmed ESCC were enrolled for study. Ninety-three patients underwent en bloc esophagectomy, and 32 patients with unresectable tumor underwent palliative surgery. Four (4.3%; 4 of 93) patients died of surgical complications. Serum levels of sIL-2Ralpha were measured by ELISA. Expression of IL-2Ralpha, IL-2Rbeta, and IL-2Rgamma in the pathological section was determined, respectively, by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH). Compared with the healthy control group (1020 +/-476 pg/ml, n = 103), ESCC patients tended to have significantly higher serum sIL-2Ralpha concentrations (1424 +/- 798 pg/ml, n = 121). The sIL-2Ralpha level was correlated with age, Tumor-Node-Metastasis classification, tumor stage, reading score of the IHC staining, and survival but not with the pathological grade or lymphovascular invasion. Prognosis was worse for patients with high sIL-2Ralpha levels (> or =1500 pg/ml) than for those with low serum sIL-2Ralpha levels (< 1500 pg/ml; P = 0.0209). It can be used as an independent prognostic factor of ESCC. In the pathological sections, expression of IL-2Ralpha, IL-2Rbeta, and IL-2Rgamma was detected in 17 (18.1%), 83 (89.2%), and 83 (89.2%) cases, respectively, by IHC, and the message of IL-2Ralpha was identified in tumor cells by ISH in 30.1% (28 of 93) of the cases. Serum concentrations of sIL-2Ralpha are frequently elevated in ESCC patients and are correlated with disease progression and survival. These data indicate that, in addition to activated T cells, cancer cells could be an important source of sIL-2Ralpha in ESCC patients.

Objective: Recently, an association between viral infection and the development of esophageal carcinoma has been reported, particularly the human papilloma virus (HPV) and Esptein-Bar virus (EBV). However, geographic variation in carcinogenesis is realized. In this study, we investigate the viral carcinogenesis and the biologic effect of viral infection on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Taiwan., Methods: To determine the association of viral infection (EBV and HPV) with ESCC, we applied polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization (ISH) to examine 119 surgical specimens from different sites of esophagus in 31 ESCC patients. Additionally, an immunoperoxidase method was used to detect EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1), p53, CD45RO (UCHL-1), Fas ligand (Fas L), and RNA ISH with oligonucleotide sequences was used to detected interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA., Results: By PCR, EBV DNA was detected in 11 cases (35.5%). Expression of EBERs in ESCC was further confirmed with ISH. Nonetheless, no LMP-1 expression was detected. On the other hand, human papillomavirus (HPV) was identified in only one case (3.2%) of ESCC. Furthermore, HPV was located by ISH in the distant normal region rather than in tumor cells. In EBV-positive cases, accumulation of p53 protein was detected in 10 lesions (91%); CD45RO+ lymphocytes together with expressions of FasL and IL-6 were respectively identified in 100%, 63.6%, and 54.5% of 11 EBV-positive lesions. Interestingly, in the EBV-negative cases (n = 20), p53 protein was detected in 40% of lesions; CD45RO 30%; FasL 50%, and IL-6 10%., Conclusions: In this study, no correlation was found between the presence of EBV in ESCC and the patients' age, sex, as well as survival. Although our results indicate that EBV could be associated with ESCC, the clinical role of EBV in ESCC remains to be determined.

Objective: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is rather common among the Chinese, but the therapeutic outcome is dismal. Knowledge of the prognostic factors in cancerous patients may influence therapeutic strategy. However, systemic analyses of clinicopathological and biological factors for patients with ESCC are few, and the results are controversial., Methods: Between 1985 and 1996, 117 patients undergoing en bloc esophagectomy and gastric substitution were enrolled. None had neoadjuvant treatment. Postoperative adjuvant therapy was provided for patients at and beyond stages IIa. Clinical responses were followed routinely. Flow cytometry was used to measure DNA ploidy and synthesis-phase fraction (SPF) of the resected esophageal tissues from all patients. Immunohistochemistry was also used to examine the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), epidermoid growth factor receptor (EGFR), HER-2/neu, and p53 in the pathological sections. Clinical correlation was evaluated by chi2 with Fisher's exact test, and survival by log-rank test., Results: The overall survival rates were 74% for 1 yr, 48% for 3 yr, and 38% for 5 yr. TNM tumor staging, the number of diseased lymph nodes (N < or = 3 or N > 3), degree of cell differentiation, DNA ploidy, SPF, and lymphovascular invasion were more useful than biological markers, such as PCNA, EGFR, HER-2/neu, and p53, for the prognosis of ESCC. Multivariate analysis revealed significant correlation of tumor staging and number of diseased lymph nodes with patient survival after surgery., Conclusions: En bloc esophagectomy may provide a rather satisfactory survival rate for patients with early stage ESCC. However, for patients with distant lymph node metastasis and those with more than three lymph nodes involved, radical surgical resection, even combined with postoperative chemoradiotherapy, cannot improve survival. The prognostic value of biological markers, including PCNA, EGFR, HER-2/neu, and p53, however, is limited.

Background and Objectives: En bloc esophagectomy has been established as the treatment of choice for patients with resectable esophageal carcinoma. However, an extensive surgical procedure may result in further impairment of the patient's nutritional status and immune system. Thus a prospective study was undertaken to evaluate the perioperative sequential changes in patients' nutritional and immune status and the timing to institute postoperative adjuvant therapy., Methods: Thirty-seven patients (34 male, 3 female) who had undergone en bloc esophagectomy with gastric institution for epidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus were studied. The mean age was 62.3 years. The nutritional and immune assessments were performed preoperatively, on the third postoperative day, in the first week, second week, third week, and at the end of the first and third month. The biochemical studies for nutritional evaluation included serum albumin, cholesterol, iron, transferrin, magnesium, zinc, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), and nitrogen balance. Evaluation of the immune status consisted of: (1) total lymphocyte count, (2) lymphocyte subpopulation, (3) immunoglobulins, (4) complements (C3 and C4), (5) lymphocyte blastogenic responses, (6) tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-2 secretion activity from mononuclear cells, and (7) C-reactive protein (CRP) level., Results: All the parameters in nutritional assessment declined profoundly by the third postoperative day (P < 0.05). The most severe deterioration was in serum iron, followed by transferrin, TIBC, cholesterol, and zinc. Most of them returned to the preoperative levels within 2-3 weeks after surgery. However, the serum levels of iron, transferrin, and TIBC required a longer period of time (> 1 month) to return to normal. A remarkable increase of serum CRP was detected in the first postoperative week (P < 0.05), but immunoglobulins and complements decreased significantly yet variably (P < 0.05) in the second or third postoperative week before gradually returning to preoperative levels. Moreover, during the first week after surgery, CD3 and CD8 diminished following esophageal surgery, whereas CD20, CD4/CD8 ratio, and lymphocyte blastogenic responses increased significantly (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Except for iron-related parameters, all the other nutritional parameters returned to the preoperative level by the third postoperative week. An adequate supplementation of iron and protein for 1-3 months after surgery is needed. En bloc esophagectomy might have only a mild and temporarily adverse effect on the host immune defense. Regarding the postoperative recovery of a patient's nutritional and immune status, postoperative chemo-radiotherapy is optimally instituted after the third postoperative week, instead of within 2 weeks of surgery.

Background: In esophageal carcinoma lymph node metastasis is one of the most important factors of prognosis. This prospective study evaluated the incidence and extent of lymph node metastasis, and assessed the relationship between the depth of tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis in esophageal carcinoma., Methods: Between 1985 and 1996, tissue samples from 112 patients undergoing radical esophagectomy and gastric substitution for squamous cell carcinoma of the intrathoracic esophagus were collected. Patients with distant organ metastasis were excluded. All specimens were evaluated and sent for histopathologic examination., Results: In 108 men and four women with a mean age of 63.1 years, the average number of dissected lymph nodes in one surgical procedure, was 30 per person. The most commonly involved nodes were the periesophageal (42.9%) and the perigastric (42.9%) nodes, followed by the recurrent laryngeal nerve (23.8%) and thoracic paratracheal (22.2%) nodes. For tumors in the upper third of the esophagus, the most frequently involved nodal groups were the periesophageal (28.6%) and the paratracheal (28.6%) nodes, followed by the recurrent laryngeal nerve (21.4%) the deep cervical (21.4%), and the perigastric (21.4%) nodes. For tumors in the middle third of the esophagus, the periesophageal nodes (27.3%) were most commonly involved, followed by the perigastric (18.2%) and the subcarina (10.6%) nodes. For tumors in the lower third of the esophagus, the perigastric lymph nodes (37.5%) were the most common nodal metastatic site, followed by the celiac (18.8%) and the recurrent laryngeal nerve (18.2%) nodes. Depth of tumor invasion was also found to correlate significantly with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.0015)., Conclusions: Wide lymph node metastasis between the neck and the upper abdomen occurs frequently in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. For potentially curable esophageal carcinomas, en-bloc esophagectomy with complete locoregional lymph node dissection may provide favorable local control of the lesion and more accurate tumor staging.

The DNA content in oesophageal carcinoma and in sequential non-tumour mucosa was evaluated in 35 patients with oesophageal carcinoma, to explore the hypotheses that DNA distribution pattern and S-phase fraction can reflect malignant potential and that DNA aneuploidy can provide an early-warning signal of developing cancer. DNA flow cytometry was performed on 129 specimens from the tumours and on 119 specimens from non-tumour mucosa. Control specimens from gastric fundus had normal diploid DNA content and low S-phase fraction. Aneuploidy was found in 94.3% of the carcinoma specimens and intratumoral heterogeneity in 54.3%. Of the non-tumour specimens, 43.7% showed aneuploidy and none multiple aneuploidy. Pattern III distribution was present in 8.6% of the tumour specimens but not in non-tumour mucosa, where the incidence of aneuploidy rose with closeness to the tumour (p < 0.001). S-phase fraction was smaller in non-tumour than in tumour specimens (p < 0.0001). The study indicated that histologically tumour-free oesophageal mucosa may have a high malignant potential in patients with oesophageal carcinoma. The relative instability of such mucosa, with aneuploid cells and low S-phase fraction, may facilitate transition to abnormally proliferating cells in response to environmental signals. Cigarette smoking and alcohol may increase the risk of multicentric cancer development.

A clinical review with an analysis of prognostic factors, including clinical characteristics, histological classifications, presenting symptoms/signs and treatment modalities, was conducted in 67 patients with primary malignant neoplasms of the trachea who were seen at the Veterans General Hospital-Taipei between 1979 and 1994. The incidence of tracheal cancer was 140 times less than lung cancer during this period. Delayed diagnosis of more than 6 months after onset of symptoms occurred in one-third of the patients owing to lack of specific symptoms/signs indicative of tracheal disease. Epidermoid carcinoma was the most frequent histological type encountered and accounted for half of the cases. Surgical resection was the first choice of treatment for all patients if the disease was locally confined, except for small cell carcinoma and lymphoma. Radiotherapy was given if the patient was not suitable for surgery. Single and multivariate analyses showed that clinical symptoms and signs were not related to prognosis, except for general malaise and acute respiratory failure. Patients suffering from adenoid cystic carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma had a better prognosis than other histological diagnoses. Whether the patient received radiotherapy or not proved to be a significant prognostic factor in the patients. Patients with tracheal cancers had a poorer prognosis than those with lung cancer.

Available data concerning the treatment of patients with advanced T4 esophageal carcinoma are limited. A consecutive series of 42 patients with advanced T4M0 epidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus were studied from June 1987 to July 1992. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of various therapeutic modalities, and further evaluate the therapeutic options. The various therapeutic modalities included the following: Group I, feeding jejunostomy or endoesophageal intubation, 6 patients; Group II, palliative subtotal esophagectomy only, 8 patients; Group III, bypass procedures without tumor resection, 9 patients; Group IV, nutritional support and then treatment with irradiation (n=8) or concurrent radio-chemotherapy (n=4), 12 patients; Group V, subtotal esophagectomy, followed by aggressive concurrent radiochemotherapy, 7 patients. The total prescribed irradiation dose was 60 Gy (10 Gy/5 fractions/week). A combination regimen of chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin (PFL regimen). For the patients undergoing esophagectomy or bypass procedures (n=24), the rates of operative complication and mortality were 45.8% and 25%, respectively. Side effects of adjuvant therapy (n=24) consisted of main airway irritation (100%), mucositis or gastrointestinal symptoms (83.3%), hematologic toxicity (79.2%), esophagitis or gastric ulcer (62.5%), alopecia (37.5%), and pneumonia (20.8%). The mortality due to toxicity of adjuvant therapy was 21.1% (4/19 patients). The mean survival times for each of the different groups was 1.9+/-0.5 months for Group I, 4.8+/-1.6 months for Group II, 5.2+/-1.2 months for Group III, 7.3+/-2.0 months for Group IV, and 20.3+/-2.5 months for Group V, respectively. Compared with patients of Groups I--IV, the Group V patients had a significantly superior one-year survival rate (P<0.01). Our results demonstrated that esophagectomy followed by concurrent irradiation and PFL combination chemotherapy may provide a significant improvement in the quality of life and survival for appropriate patients with advanced T4M0 epidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus. Furthermore, more than one cycle of PFL regimen chemotherapy may result in a better prognosis. During the performance of such an aggressive treatment, the utmost care must be taken with the patient's nutrition and to prevent pulmonary complications.

To evaluate the status of tumor recurrence and the possible factors relevant to tumor recurrence among patients who survived more than 5 years after subtotal esophagectomy for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, a total of 104 patients who received treatment between 1959 and 1986 were reviewed. In 18 of these 104 patients, local or distant tumor recurrence developed, for a tumor recurrence rate of 17.3%. Eleven (61.1%) of these 18 patients eventually died of carcinomatosis despite further radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or both, and 4 patients with the disease are still alive. Three patients continue to survive after aggressive therapy was instituted for control of the locally recurrent tumor. Sixty-nine of the 104 patients are alive without tumor recurrence after the initial esophagectomy, and the remaining 17 patients died of miscellaneous causes. Tumor recurrence appears to be the most important factor affecting the prognosis in long-term survivors with resectable esophageal carcinoma. Among the 11 patients who died of tumor recurrence, 10 died within 5 to 9 years of their esophagectomy. The incidence of various modes of tumor recurrence among these 18 patients was as follows: blood-borne metastasis, 61%; lymph node recurrence, 33%; and locoregional organ recurrence, 33%. Factors that may be pertinent to a higher tumor recurrence rate include male sex, moderate to poor tumor differentiation, the presence of lymph node metastasis, and late stage of disease (stage IIb or worse). However, we could not find any statistical significance among these possible factors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Between 1974 and 1984, 1,188 patients with esophageal malignancies were treated in the Division of Thoracic Surgery of Veterans General Hospital, Taipei. The rate of resectability was 42.6%. Since 1974, the stomach has been used as esophageal substitute, and through 1984, a total of 368 patients were collected. The routes of reconstruction included retrosternal (77.2%), posteromediastinal (7.1%), and intrathoracic (15.7%). The rates of postoperative complications and surgical mortality in these 368 patients were 26.3% and 6.5%, respectively. Leakage of anastomosis was the most frequent complication. The incidence of stricture of esophagogastrostomy was 25.5%. All strictures were relieved by esophageal dilations. An average of 3.9 esophageal dilations were performed per patient (range, 1 to 15). Radical lymph node dissection was not routinely performed in our series. The actuarial 2-year and 5-year survival rates were 26.4% and 7.6%, respectively. Among 76 patients undergoing cervical esophagogastrostomy and surviving for more than 1 year, late complications occurred as follows: acid/bile regurgitation, 46.1%; postprandial fullness of abdomen, 38.2%; dumping syndrome, 13.2%; distended stomach with dyspnea, 11.8%; aspiration pneumonia, 6.6%; and gastric ulcer, 6.6%. Moreover, compared with patients without pyloroplasty, those with pyloroplasty were found to have a higher incidence of bile regurgitation (55.5% versus 8.6%), dumping syndrome (33.3% versus 6.9%), aspiration pneumonia (16.7% versus 3.4%), and gastric ulcer (22.2% versus 1.7%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)