Surgical treatment of adenocarcinomas of the gastro-esophageal junction

BACKGROUND: Patients with adenocarcinoma of the gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) may undergo either esophagectomy or gastrectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of surgical therapy with regard to postoperative outcome and survival in patients with Siewert type II tumors.

METHODS: A prospective database of 266 consecutive patients with surgically resectable GEJ adenocarcinomas from 2003 to 2013 was analyzed. The surgical approach was based on preoperative imaging and intraoperative findings.

RESULTS: According to the histopathological analysis, 67 patients (25 %) had type I tumor, 176 patients (66 %) had type II tumor, and 16 patients (6 %) had type III tumor. In total, 86 % were treated with esophagectomy and 14 % with gastrectomy. Overall 5-year survival was 38 %. In type II patients, the type of operation did not significantly influence overall survival on multivariate analysis (p = 0.606). A positive circumferential resection margin (CRM) at the site of the esophagus was more common with gastrectomy (29 vs. 11 %; p = 0.025). No significant differences in mortality, morbidity, or disease recurrence were found. In patients with type II tumors, upper mediastinal nodal involvement (subcarinal, paratracheal, and aortapulmonary window) was found in 11 % of the patients. In 34 % of patients treated with esophagectomy, paraesophageal lymph nodes metastases were harvested compared with 5 % of patients treated with gastrectomy.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with a type II GEJ adenocarcinoma, a positive CRM was more common with gastrectomy. Esophagectomy provides for a more complete para-esophageal lymphadenectomy. Furthermore, the high prevalence of mediastinal nodal involvement indicates that a full lymphadenectomy of these stations should be considered.