Background: Although the presence of an intramural metastasis (IM) from esophageal cancer is associated with a poor prognosis, some patients with IM have a relatively favorable course.
Methods: Clinicopathological factors including number, location, and size of IM and the distance between the primary tumor and IM were assessed in 212 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent esophagectomy.
Results: Twenty-three patients (10.8%) had IM. IM size ranged from 2 to 100 mm (18+/-26), and the distance between primary lesion and IM ranged from 5 to 70 mm (27+/-18). Survival of ten patients with an IM less than 20 mm from the primary tumor was significantly longer than that of 13 patients with a more distant IM ( P=0.0184); median survival time were 2.3 and 0.7 years, respectively.
Conclusion: A subgroup of patients with an IM less than 20 mm from the primary esophageal cancer may have a relatively favorable prognosis. When an IM is found preoperatively or in a resected specimen, measurement of the distance between the primary tumor and the IM might be useful in determination of treatment strategy and evaluation of prognosis.