Pattern of recurrence following radical oesophagectomy with two-field lymphadenectomy

Abstract

The low incidence of cervical recurrence suggests that a more extensive 'three-field' lymphadenectomy is unlikely to improve survival rates. Better staging modalities are needed to identify patients who will have recurrence within 12 months of operation, so that they may be either entered into trials of multimodality treatment or offered non-surgical palliation. British Journal of Surgery prize-winning paper, presented to the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, London, UK, September 1999