Optimal Surgical Margin Research Articles

Rectal Cancer With Distally Spreading Intramural Metastasis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Introduction: Intramural metastasis (IM) is common in esophageal cancer, and it is an important factor in determining the resection area and tumor malignancy. However, IM is rare in rectal cancer; therefore, little is known about IM in rectal cancer, and the clinical significance remains unclear. Case Presentation: We describe a case of rectal cancer with distally spreading IM. A 58-year-old man consulted a primary care physician, with a chief complaint of constipation; tests revealed a high carcinoembryonic antigen value. A colonoscopy revealed a type 2, advanced rectal tumor, which covered two-thirds of the circumference of the upper rectum. In addition, 3 protruding lesions were observed under the normal mucosa on the anal side of the primary tumor. A laparoscopic low anterior resection was performed. Pathologic findings showed that the primary tumor was a moderate-to-well-differentiated adenocarcinoma with a cribriform structure. The 3 lesions on the anal side found under normal mucosa were separate from the primary tumor, but morphologically similar to the primary adenocarcinoma; therefore, these were diagnosed as IMs. Based on a review of previous case reports, rectal carcinomas were often accompanied by vascular invasions and lymph-node metastases. Moreover, in rectal cancer, tumors with IMs often show vascular invasion. Therefore, we assumed that IM could be a marker of poor prognosis. Conclusion: This study revealed that, in surgery, detection of a distally spreading IM is an important finding for determining the optimal surgical resection margin.

Histopathologic analysis of stage pT1b kidney neoplasms for optimal surgical margins of nephron-sparing surgery

ObjectiveTo evaluate the pathological features and define the optimal surgical margins (SM) of nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) for kidney neoplasms 4–7 cm (stage pT1b) on preoperative imaging.Materials and methodsThe retrospective study included 748 patients who were diagnosed stage pT1b renal tumors and underwent either radical nephrectomy (RN, n = 475) or NSS (n = 273) from January 2004 to March 2017. The tumor size, pathological subtype, Fuhrman grade, status of peritumoral pseudocapsule (PC) and tumor multifocality were recorded. The relationship between peritumoral PC and positive SM was calculated statistically by Fisher’s exact probability test.ResultsThe mean tumor diameter was 5.4 cm (range: 4.1–7.0 cm), 65 (8.7%) cases were discovered with multifocal lesions and 686 (91.7%) were surrounded with peritumoral PC in all 748 specimens. 57 (8.3%) of 686 cases were proved with tumor infiltrated beyond PC [infiltration (+)], and the presence of PC infiltration (+) was significantly correlated with positive SM (p = 0.016). The infiltrative depth of tumor cells into renal parenchyma beyond PC was all limited in 3 mm and the proportion of ≤ 1, 1–2 and 2–3 mm was 21.1% (12/57), 59.6% (34/57) and 19.3% (11/57), respectively.ConclusionsOur report indicates a 3 mm excisional margin is acceptable to ensure negative SM when operating NSS on stage pT1b kidney neoplasms.

Margins in breast cancer: How much is enough?

The appropriate negative margin width for women undergoing breast-conserving surgery for both ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive carcinoma is controversial. This review examines the available data on the margin status for invasive breast cancer and DCIS, and highlights the similarities and differences in tumor biology and standard treatments that affect the local recurrence (LR) risk and, therefore, the optimal surgical margin. Consensus guidelines support a negative margin, defined as no ink on tumor, for invasive carcinoma treated with breast-conserving therapy. Because of differences in the growth pattern and utilization of systemic therapy, a margin of 2 mm has been found to minimize the LR risk for women with DCIS undergoing lumpectomy and radiation therapy (RT). Wider negative margins do not improve local control for DCIS or invasive carcinoma when they are treated with lumpectomy and RT. Re-excision for negative margins should be individualized, and the routine practice of performing additional surgery to obtain a wider negative margin is not supported by the literature. Cancer 2018;124:1335-41. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Evaluation of Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy‐on‐a‐Needle as a Novel Tool to Determine Optimal Surgical Margin in Partial Nephrectomy

A hypodermic needle has been introduced incorporating an electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensor, called micro-EIS-on-a-needle for depth profiling (μEoN-DP). The μEoN-DP can locate endophytic renal tumors as well as determine tumor margins by detecting the impedance difference between normal and cancer tissues. To evaluate the μEoN-DP as a novel tool to determine the optimal surgical margin during partial nephrectomy (PN), the electrical impedance differences between renal parenchymal tissues and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumors are investigated with regard to the distance from the tumors. Optimal frequencies at which the discrimination extent is maximized are suggested based on the discrimination index. The resistance and capacitance of normal and cancer tissues are extracted using electrical equivalent circuit by excluding the influences of other electrical components on the sensor output. The extracted resistance and capacitance of cancer tissues are 37.8% larger and 25.7% smaller than that of normal tissues, respectively. Additionally, high sensitivity and specificity are obtained by using extracted resistance and capacitance, thus implying that the μEoN-DP shows promise as a supplementary tool for PN margin evaluation and decreasing the prevalence of positive surgical margins while maximizing parenchymal preservation.

What we know about surgical therapy in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer: a guide for the medical oncologist.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of death in cancer patients. The gold standard for the treatment of early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer is lobectomy with mediastinal lymph-node dissection or systematic lymph-node sampling. The evidence behind this recommendation is based on the sole randomized controlled trial conducted to date, done by the Lung Cancer Study Group and published in 1995, which found a superiority for lobectomy over sublobar resection with regard to local recurrence rate and improved survival. The population studied at that time were medically fit patients at low risk for surgery with a stage IA non-small-cell lung carcinoma, ie, a solitary tumor less than 3 cm in size. In practice, however, thoracic surgeons have continued to push the limit of a more conservative surgical resection in this patient population. Since then, several retrospective studies have attempted to identify the ideal population to benefit from sublobar resection without it affecting survival or local recurrence. Several variables have been studied, including tumor size, patient age, surgical approach, histological and radiological properties, and optimal surgical resection margin, as well as promising prognostic biomarkers. In this review, we summarize the data available in the literature regarding the surgical approach to patients with stage IA non-small-cell lung cancer studying all the aforementioned variables.

Robust presurgical functional MRI at 7 T using response consistency.

Functional MRI is valuable in presurgical planning due to its non‐invasive nature, repeatability, and broad availability. Using ultra‐high field MRI increases the specificity and sensitivity, increasing the localization reliability and reducing scan time. Ideally, fMRI analysis for this application should identify unreliable runs and work even if the patient deviates from the prescribed task timing or if there are changes to the hemodynamic response due to pathology. In this study, a model‐free analysis method—UNBIASED—based on the consistency of fMRI responses over runs was applied, to ultra‐high field fMRI localizations of the hand area. Ten patients with brain tumors and epilepsy underwent 7 Tesla fMRI with multiple runs of a hand motor task in a block design. FMRI data were analyzed with the proposed approach (UNBIASED) and the conventional General Linear Model (GLM) approach. UNBIASED correctly identified and excluded fMRI runs that contained little or no activation. Generally, less motion artifact contamination was present in UNBIASED than in GLM results. Some cortical regions were identified as activated in UNBIASED but not GLM results. These were confirmed to show reproducible delayed or transient activation, which was time‐locked to the task. UNBIASED is a robust approach to generating activation maps without the need for assumptions about response timing or shape. In presurgical planning, UNBIASED can complement model‐based methods to aid surgeons in making prudent choices about optimal surgical access and resection margins for each patient, even if the hemodynamic response is modified by pathology. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3163–3174, 2017. © 2017 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Soft tissue sarcoma in the dog - Part 2: surgical margins, controversies and a comparative review.

Soft tissue sarcoma constitutes a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal tumours. Although they are common in the dog, many uncertainties surround the best options for clinical management. Despite recent improvements in outcome, approximately one in five patients may still die as a result of their disease. There is some evidence that wide surgical excision may not be required for every soft tissue sarcoma but, conversely, complacency in treatment may adversely affect outcomes for patients with aggressive disease. The purpose of this review is to examine the issues affecting the management of canine soft tissue sarcoma, and to evaluate the human literature for lessons that may guide future treatment directions for dogs. Comparative lessons from human soft tissue sarcoma that may be important for the canine patient in the future include (1) understanding the oncogenic potential of the pseudocapsule to better predict tumour behaviour and optimal surgical margins, (2) recognising the importance of planned multi-modality therapy for improving tumour control, (3) considering a role for compartmental resection strategies and (4) improving the accuracy of pretreatment analysis of the tumour to better predict behaviour and optimal treatment options.

Clinical outcome of dedifferentiated liposarcoma in the extremities: A retrospective case series of 7 patients

Wide resection is the generally recommended surgical treatment for dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) in the extremities. However, it may be appropriate to distinguish the surgical margin of low-grade atypical lipomatous tumor (ALT)/well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLPS) area from the high-grade dedifferentiated area, because the low- and high-grade areas can be clearly separated, both radiologically and histologically. This study re-evaluated the details of surgical margin of DDLPS in the extremities, and aimed to investigate the optimal surgical margin and the usefulness of adjuvant therapy for DDLPS in the extremities. Seven patients diagnosed with DDLPS in the extremities and treated between 1995 and 2013 were analyzed. The use of adjuvant therapy before and after surgery was assessed, and the surgical margins for the ALT/WDLPS and dedifferentiated areas were re-evaluated by using the specimens resected at surgery. Subsequently, the recurrence rates, metastatic rates, and oncological outcomes were examined. Four and three patients had wide (adequate wide margin, n=3; inadequate wide margin, n=1) and marginal margins for the dedifferentiated area, respectively, while three and four patients had wide (adequate wide margin, n=2; inadequate wide margin, n=1) and marginal margins for the ALT/WDLPS area, respectively. Postoperative radiotherapy was performed in three patients with an inadequate wide margin or a marginal margin for the dedifferentiated area. No patient had local recurrence. Distant metastases occurred in two patients. These patients died of their disease. The other five patients were disease-free. The ALT/WDLPS and dedifferentiated areas in the tumor margin may be better to be considered separately in determining the appropriate resection extent for DDLPS in the extremities. Postoperative radiotherapy may provide good local control for cases with a narrow surgical margin.

Feasibility and accuracy of computational robot-assisted partial nephrectomy planning by virtual partial nephrectomy analysis.

To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of virtual partial nephrectomy analysis, including a color-coded three-dimensional virtual surgical planning and a quantitative functional analysis, in predicting the surgical outcomes of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy. Between 2012 and 2014, 20 patients underwent virtual partial nephrectomy analysis before undergoing robot-assisted partial nephrectomy. Virtual partial nephrectomy analysis was carried out with the following steps: (i) evaluation of the arterial branch for selective clamping by showing the vascular-supplied area; (ii) simulation of the optimal surgical margin in precise segmented three-dimensional model for prediction of collecting system opening; and (iii) detailed volumetric analyses and estimates of postoperative renal function based on volumetric change. At operation, the surgeon identified the targeted artery and determined the surgical margin according to the virtual partial nephrectomy analysis. The surgical outcomes between the virtual partial nephrectomy analysis and the actual robot-assisted partial nephrectomy were compared. All 20 patients had negative cancer surgical margins and no urological complications. The tumor-specific renal arterial supply areas were shown in color-coded three-dimensional model visualization in all cases. The prediction value of collecting system opening was 85.7% for sensitivity and 100% for specificity. The predicted renal resection volume was significantly correlated with actual resected specimen volume (r(2) = 0.745, P < 0.001). The predicted estimated glomerular filtration rate was significantly correlated with actual postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (r(2) = 0.736, P < 0.001). Virtual partial nephrectomy analysis is able to provide the identification of tumor-specific renal arterial supply, prediction of collecting system opening and prediction of postoperative renal function. This technique might allow urologists to compare various arterial clamping methods and resection margins with surgical outcomes in a non-invasive manner.

Historical review of melanoma treatment and outcomes

The surgical and medical management of melanoma has changed dramatically since the first description of melanoma as a disease entity more than 200 years ago. Refinement of surgical techniques, including evaluation of optimal surgical margins, utility of elective lymph node dissection, and incorporation of sentinel lymph node mapping as both a prognostic tool and guide for selective lymphadenectomy have lessened surgical morbidity and improved outcomes for early-stage and locally advanced melanoma. Astute clinical observations of the integrated roles of the immune system and oncogenic mutations have more recently led to improvements in survival and quality of life for advanced melanoma. Herein, we provide an overview of the most significant surgical and medical milestones in the treatment of melanoma over the past 2 centuries.

Optimizing Clinical Management of Surgical Margins in Breast-Conserving Therapy for Breast Cancer

There has been, and continues to be, significant controversy over the definition of an optimal surgical margin in breast-conserving therapy (BCT). The historic basis of this controversy stems from the original trials documenting the safety of BCT and many conflicting retrospective studies that have sought to define the association between surgical margin width and outcomes over the last 20 years. It is important to understand that margin assessment is an inexact science, and current laboratory approaches to surgical-margin assessment represent only a sampling of the surgical margin. Currently available evidence suggests that decisions regarding surgical margins in BCT should be made in the context of what is known about the biology of breast cancer, as well the interactions of tumor biology, adjuvant treatment for breast cancer, and outcomes. Achieving consensus on management of surgical margins in BCT should be a clinical priority as it offers the opportunity to reduce the burden of breast cancer treatment on patients without compromising cancer-related outcomes.

Surgical strategy for the management of sacral giant cell tumors: a 32-case series

Surgical treatment of sacral giant cell tumors (GCTs) is associated with a high rate of complications, and there is controversy over which type of surgical treatment is optimal. To develop an optimal treatment strategy for sacral GCTs. Retrospective/academic medical center. A total of 32 patients (18 women and 14 men) with sacral GCT who underwent surgery between August 1996 and August 2008. Local recurrence rate, surgical margins, blood loss, sacral nerve root preservation, and complications. The medical charts of 32 patients were reviewed. Patients underwent either wide resection (n=2), marginal resection (n=11), marginal resection plus curettage (n=12), or curettage alone (n=7). The curettage group and the wide resection group had the highest and lowest amounts of blood loss (4,500 vs. 1,300 mL, respectively). During follow-up (median, 42 months), 12 patients (37.5%) had local recurrence, including five of seven in the curettage group. The recurrence rate was significantly lower in the marginal excision group compared with that in the curettage group (18.2% vs. 71.4%, respectively; p=.049). Five patients had bladder dysfunction, and two patients had bowel dysfunction. Four patients who underwent marginal resection had lower limb dysfunction. Overall survival was 93.6%, and 2-year recurrence-free survival was 84.4%. Choosing an optimal surgical margin in the treatment of sacral GCTs is of great importance for local recurrence control and sacral nerve root preservation. Curettage alone should not be used to treat sacral GCT.

Patient-calibrated agent-based modelling of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS): From microscopic measurements to macroscopic predictions of clinical progression

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)--a significant precursor to invasive breast cancer--is typically diagnosed as microcalcifications in mammograms. However, the effective use of mammograms and other patient data to plan treatment has been restricted by our limited understanding of DCIS growth and calcification. We develop a mechanistic, agent-based cell model and apply it to DCIS. Cell motion is determined by a balance of biomechanical forces. We use potential functions to model interactions with the basement membrane and amongst cells of unequal size and phenotype. Each cell's phenotype is determined by genomic/proteomic- and microenvironment-dependent stochastic processes. Detailed "sub-models" describe cell volume changes during proliferation and necrosis; we are the first to account for cell calcification. We introduce the first patient-specific calibration method to fully constrain the model based upon clinically-accessible histopathology data. After simulating 45 days of solid-type DCIS with comedonecrosis, the model predicts: necrotic cell lysis acts as a biomechanical stress relief and is responsible for the linear DCIS growth observed in mammography; the rate of DCIS advance varies with the duct radius; the tumour grows 7-10mm per year--consistent with mammographic data; and the mammographic and (post-operative) pathologic sizes are linearly correlated--in quantitative agreement with the clinical literature. Patient histopathology matches the predicted DCIS microstructure: an outer proliferative rim surrounds a stratified necrotic core with nuclear debris on its outer edge and calcification in the centre. This work illustrates that computational modelling can provide new insight on the biophysical underpinnings of cancer. It may 1-day be possible to augment a patient's mammography and other imaging with rigorously-calibrated models that help select optimal surgical margins based upon the patient's histopathologic data.

Optimal Surgical Margin in Nephron-sparing Surgery for T1b Renal Cell Carcinoma

To determine the optimal surgical margins in nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) for T1b renal cell carcinomas (RCC). We retrospectively assessed 87 T1b RCC specimens after radical nephrectomy through whole-kidney continuous sections, with 92 T1a RCCs included as controls. The completeness of pseudocapsule (PS) and extra-PS lesions and multifocality were microscopically examined, as was the greatest distance between extra-PS lesions and primary tumors. The rates of incomplete PS (34% [30/87] vs 18% [17/92], P = .015) and positive cancer lesions beyond the PS (39% [34/87] vs 25% [23/92], P = .043) were significantly higher in the T1b than in the T1a group. All extra-PS lesions were located within 3.0 mm of the primary tumor. Multifocal tumors were found in 6% (5/87) of patients with T1b and 5% (5/92) of patients with T1a tumors (P = .928). These results indicate that 4 mm may be the optimal surgical margin for NSS for patients with T1b RCC because all extra-PS lesions were located within 3 mm of the primary tumors.

Melanoma of the Lentigo Maligna Subtype

Melanoma of the lentigo maligna subtype presents diagnostic and treatment challenges because of ill-defined clinical margins in cosmetically and functionally sensitive areas of the head and neck with extensive sun damage. This review highlights the natural history, varied clinical presentations, and pitfalls in histologic diagnosis. The focus is on the surgical management, comparing excision and pathologic tissue processing techniques of wide excision, Mohs micrographic surgery, and staged excision. Staged excision is recommended for optimal surgical margin control. Nonsurgical treatment modalities are also reviewed for the elderly or unresectable cases.

New Strategies for Perioperative Nutrition Control for Patients with Locally Advanced Oral Cancer

Copyright: © 2012 Hiraoka SI, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The treatment of oral cancer consists mainly of surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The majority of patients with locally advanced oral cancer undergo surgical resection which, to maintain an optimal surgical margin, often involves facial deformities and loss of oral functions such as drinking, mastication, swallowing, and speaking. On the other hand, patients treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy typically have severe stomatitis and pharyngitis, which make eating difficult. Furthermore, a majority of oral cancer patients are nutritionally compromised at the time of diagnosis because of dysphagia or odynophagia from the primary tumor. Nutritional compromise is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in oral cancer patients. Nutritionally compromised patients have greater susceptibility to postoperative complications such as infection and delay of wound healing, poorer response to treatment, and higher likelihood of recurrence after treatment.

Influence of Surgical Margins on Outcome in Patients With Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Define the optimal surgical margin in patients undergoing surgery for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC). Surgery is the most effective treatment for IHCC. However, the influence of R1 resection on outcome is controversial and that of margin width has not been evaluated. We studied 212 patients undergoing curative resection of mass-forming-type IHCC. The respective influences on survival of resection status (R0 vs R1), surgical margin width, pTNM stage, and the latter's components were evaluated. Incidence of R1 resection was 24%. Overall, R1 resection was not an independent predictor of survival [odds ratio (OR) 1.2 (0.7-2.1)] in contrast to the pTNM stage [OR 2.10 (1.2-3.5)]. In the 78 pN+ patients, survival was similar after R0 and R1 resections (median: 18 vs 13 months, respectively, P = 0.1). In the 134 pN0 patients, R1 resection was an independent predictor of poor survival [OR 9.6 (4.5-20.4)], as was the presence of satellite nodules [OR 1.9 (1.1-3.2)]. In the 116 pN0 patients with R0 resections, median survival was correlated with margin width (≤1 mm: 15 months; 2-4 mm: 36 months; 5-9 mm: 57 month; ≥10 mm: 64 month, P < 0.001) and a margin >5 mm was an independent predictor of survival [OR 2.22 (1.59-3.09)]. Patients undergoing surgery for IHCC are at high risk of R1 resections. In pN0 patients, R1 resection is the strongest independent predictor of poor outcome and a margin of at least 5 mm should be created. The survival benefits of resection in pN+ patients and R1 resection in general are very low.

Critical surgical techniques for giant cell tumor of sacrum

Objective To discuss the relations between optimal surgical margin and local recurrence and the impact of preserving segment of sacral nerve root on neural functions based on the clinical and pathological features of giant cell tumor(GCT).Methods From August 1996 to August 2008,48 patients with sacral GCT undergoing tumor resection were respectively analyzed,including 20 males and 28 females with an average of 34.7 years(range,19-74).The tumors were located in S1-S5 in 4 patients,S1-S4 in 7,S1-S3 in 15,S1,2 in 12,S2-S5 in 8,and S3-S5 in 2.Surgical methods included single posterior approach in 29 cases,combined anterior-posterior approach in 19.The surgical margins adopted were en-bloc in 2 patients,marginal in 15,marginal and curettage in 25,and curettage in 9.Results Forty-one of 48 cases were successfully followed up,the average time was 43.5 months(range,18-115).The average blood loss during surgery was 3560 ml(range,550-12 000).Benign lung metastasis occurred in one case 6 years after operation,2 patients died of malignant transformation.Local recurrence occurred in 15 cases.The recurrence rates in patients with en-bloc resection,marginal resection,marginal resection combined with curettage,and curettage were 0,18.2%,40.9%,66.7%,respectively.The recurrence rate of marginal group was significantly lower than that of the curettage group.Of 27 cases with bilateral S3 nerve root preservation,2 sufiered from urine or fetal dysfunction.with an incidence rate of 7.4%.While 4 of 12 patients with unilateral S3 nerve root preservation suffered from sphincter disturbance,with an incidence rate of 33.3%.The significant difference between groups in nerve root preservation was confirmed.Conclusion Optimal surgical margin for sacral GCT is of great importance to local control of tumor recurrence,the surgical procedure of sacral GCT should aim at the marginal resection on the basis of rational sacral nerve roots preservation;preservation of bilateral S3 nerve roots contributes to the recovery of sphincteral function in most patients. Key words: Giant cell tumor of bone; Sacrum; Surgical procedures,operative

Primary Excision Margins and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Clinically Node-negative Melanoma of the Trunk or Extremities

For patients with early-stage melanoma, uncertainty exists regarding optimal surgical excision margins of the primary tumour and surgical management of the clinically node-negative lymph node basin. We describe the process of creating a provincial guideline for the treatment of node-negative melanoma of the trunk and extremities. The following research questions were addressed: What are the optimal excision margins for clinically node-negative cutaneous melanoma and should these patients undergo sentinel lymph node biopsy? Outcomes were local and regional recurrence, overall and disease-free survival, and morbidity. The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, National Guideline Clearinghouse, CMA Infobase and websites of guideline development organisations were systematically searched. Using the AGREE instrument, relevant guidelines were assessed and an updated literature search completed. A systematic review and practice guideline was written, reviewed and approved by the Melanoma Site Group and the Program in Evidence-based Care Report Approval Panel. External review by three melanoma experts was completed, as was an online consultation with healthcare professionals who were intended users of the guideline. One guideline was selected for adoption: the Australian Cancer Network National Health and Medical Research Council and the New Zealand Guidelines group 2008 melanoma guideline. An updated literature search was undertaken to include relevant studies published since the adopted guideline was completed. Excision margins range from 5mm to 2cm depending on the melanoma depth. Patients with a melanoma greater than 1.0mm in thickness should be given the opportunity to discuss sentinel lymph node biopsy to provide staging and prognostic information.

Diagnosis of the extent of advanced oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers by narrow band imaging with magnifying endoscopy

Narrow band imaging combined with magnifying endoscopy (NBI-ME) is useful for the detection of superficial cancer in the oropharynx, hypopharynx, and esophagus. We used NBI-ME to evaluate the frequency of superficial cancer spread (SCS) contiguous with advanced oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers and esophageal cancers. Retrospective. We retrospectively studied 45 patients with oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer and 44 with esophageal cancer who underwent NBI-ME from October 2006 through April 2009. The following variables were evaluated: 1) the frequency of SCS contiguous with advanced oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer and esophageal cancer, and 2) the influence of SCS contiguous with advanced oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer on clinical T category and clinical stage. SCS contiguous with the primary tumor was found in 49% (22/45) of the patients with advanced oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer and in 52% (23/44) of those with advanced esophageal cancer. When SCS contiguous with the primary tumor was included in the evaluation of tumor size in advanced oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer, the clinical T category and clinical stage were revised in 20% (9/45) and 4% (2/45) of patients, respectively; SCS was ≤ 2 cm in 64% of cases (14/22) and between >2 cm and ≤ 4 cm in 36% (8/22). NBI-ME should be included in the pretreatment diagnostic work-up to evaluate lesion extent and decide optimal surgical margins and radiation fields in patients with advanced oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer.