Positive radial resection margin after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer patients treated at a tertiary center and its impact on survival.

Abstract

162 Background: Although residual tumor at the radial margin can be expected to have a significant impact on the recurrence or overall survival of patient with node negative esophageal cancer (EC), its impact on recurrence and overall survival of patients with node positive EC has not been well characterized. Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent esophagectomy for EC at a single institution over a 16 year period (1999-2015) was performed. Pre-operative clinical parameters, stage as well as oncologic management were reviewed as well as the impact of positive radial margin on overall survival of pre-treatment node positive tumors was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The study group consisted of 437 patients (46%) with pre-treatment stage IIB or III out of 945 patients with EC undergoing esophagectomy. The mean age of patients was 63 years with male predominance (85%). Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) was administered to 87% of patients. Trans-thoracic surgery was performed in 86% of patients and trans-hiatal in 14%. Positive radial margin on final pathology was identified in 14 patients (3.2%); none of these had squamous histology. Neither the surgical approach nor the use of NAT was associated with radial margin positivity (p = 0.6). The median overall survival was significantly lower in the patients with positive radial margin when compared to the rest of the cohort (13.6 months v/s 41.2 months, p = 0.004). Moreover, when focused only on patients with post treatment pathologic T3 and T4 disease, margin positive disease remained associated with worse survival (p = 0.04). However, when final N status is included in multivariate analysis margin positivity loses significance. Conclusions: Radial margin positive disease after surgical resection for EC is associated with worse overall survival. This finding was significant regardless of the pathologic T stage; however, pathologic nodal staging was the most important factor for prognostication in locally advanced EC. Adenocarcinoma is the predominant pathology identified in patients with positive radial margin and concurrent node positivity.