Carcinoma of the esophagus

Summary

The findings at the time of operation showed the lesion to be no longer a local one, and thus, strictly speaking, was not an operative case. The disease had not only spread to the immediate surrounding structures but had already passed on to the lymphatic system. In view however of his extreme suffering and of the otherwise hopeless outlook, it was decided to attempt a radical surgical cure. For a period of nine months, the patient was able to work, and was free from disability. He was able to live a perfectly normal life during this time. When one considers the fact that this patient was treated for a period of nine months (from the time his symptoms had become fairly characteristic of this lesion to the time he was admitted to the hospital for operation), it is only fair to assume that the result would have been a much different and happier one if the surgical procedure could have been applied at the beginning of this period. In other words, in this disease as in others of similar nature, the important and essential factor is early diagnosis.