Analysis of histopathological features in 850 cases of esophageal malignant tumor

Objective To explore the histopathological features of 850 patients with esophageal malignant tumor in 10 years. Methods From January 2002 to January 2012, 850 patients diagnosed with esophageal malignant tumor were enrolled. Tumor location, general type, pathological type and TNM stage were retrospectively analyzed. All the data were described as case number and percentage. Results Among the 850 cases of esophageal malignant tumor, 33 lesions (3.9%) located in the neck segment of esophagus, 119 lesions (14.0%) located in the upper segment, 44 lesions (5.2%) located in the upper-middle segment, 409 lesions (48.1%) located in the middle segment, 123 lesions (14.5%) located in the middle-lower segment, 122 lesions (14.4%) located in the lower segment. Among the 724 cases clearly diagnosed as esophageal malignant tumor by general type, the most cases were ulcer type (305 cases, 42.1%), followed by medulla type (260 cases, 35.9%), fungating type (80 cases, 11.0%) and constrictive type (70 cases, 9.7%), and the least cases were intraluminal type (nine cases, 1.2%). Among the 850 cases of esophageal malignant tumor, squamous cell carcinoma (794 cases, 93.4%) was the most common cytological type, followed by small cell carcinoma (19 cases, 2.2%), and the least common cytological type was adenocarcinoma (seven cases, 0.8%). Among the 724 cases with clear TNM staging, case number of Tis, T1, T2, T3 and T4 stage was eight (1.1%), six (0.8%), 271 (37.4%), 278 (38.4%) and 161 (22.2%), respectively. Among the 122 cases of distal esophageal carcinomas (104 cases with clear TNM staging), most cases were squamous cell carcinoma (112 cases, 91.8%), the others cases were adenocarcinoma (three cases, 2.5%), small cell carcinoma (three cases, 2.5%), basaloid squamous cell, adenosquamous, neuroendocrine carcinomas and carcinosarcoma (one case in each type, 0.8%). Conclusions Esophageal carcinoma was mostly located in the middle segment of in which squamous cell carcinoma was predominant while adenocarcinoma was less common. Esophageal cancer located at lower segment of esophagus is with a wide range of pathological spectrum, squamous cell carcinoma was still dominant, however, esophageal adenocarcinoma is rare. Key words: Esophageal neoplasms, malignant; Esophageal adenocarcinoma; Histopathological features