Patterns and rates of abdominal lymphatic metastasis following esophageal carcinoma

AimTo determine the rate of abdominal lymph node metastasis after radical surgery for esophageal cancer and define the radiotherapy target area.MethodsOf the 1593 patients who underwent R0 radical esophagectomy for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TE-SCC), 148 developed abdominal lymph node (LN) metastases within three years of surgery. During that time interval, patients were examined by various imaging methods (enhanced computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography–CT) at set time points. The emerging recurrence pattern, preferred sites for abdominal metastasis, and correlation with added clinical factors were carefully recorded, to permit for delineation of a target area for radiotherapy.ResultsWe found postoperative metastatic abdominal LNs in 9.3% of the patients treated for esophageal cancer. Lesions in the upper, middle, and lower esophageal segments metastasized to abdominal LNs at 2.3%, 7.8%, and 26.6% (P ConclusionThis study determined that stations 16a1 and 16a2 of the para-aortic, truncus coeliacus, posterior surface of the pancreatic head, and arteria hepatica communis lymph nodes were the preferred sites for abdominal LN metastasis, thus defining target areas for postoperative radiotherapy.