ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Site distribution of oesophagogastric cancer

J P Byrne², J M Mathers¹, J M Parry¹, S E A Attwood², J Bancewicz², C B J Woodman¹

¹ Centre for Cancer Epidemiology, University of Manchester, Kinnaird Road, Withington, Manchester M20 4QL, UK
² Department of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hope Hospital, Stott Lane, Manchester M6 8HD, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr J Parry, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK;
J.M.PARRY.1{at}bham.ac.uk

Aims: It has been suggested that adenocarcinomas of the lower oesophagus and gastric cardia should be reclassified as oesophagogastric junction (OGJ) cancers. This study aimed to define the frequency of OGJ cancers in a geographically defined population of 4.3 million people.

Methods: All cases of oesophageal and gastric cancer occurring in 1993 were identified by the North Western Regional Cancer Registry. A total of 1192 hospital case notes were reviewed and a study group of 1067 patients was defined. Tumour involvement was documented at individual subsites in the oesophagus and stomach, allowing for tumour presence in more than one oesophageal/gastric subsite.

Results: There were 627 tumours in men and 440 in women. The tumour was confined to the oesophagus in 281 (26.3%) cases and to the stomach in 454 (42.6%) cases. The tumour encroached upon or crossed the OGJ in 332 (31.1%) cases. Overall, tumours involved the cardia, OGJ, or lower oesophagus in 633 (59.3%) cases; in 179 (18.5%) cases the tumour involved the lower oesophagus but not the OGJ, and in another 122 (11.4%) cases the cardia was involved but not the OGJ.

Conclusions: Oesophagogastric cancers in this population predominantly involve the OGJ, lower oesophagus, and/or cardia.

Keywords: oesophagogastric cancer; tumour classification; tumour site; gastric cardia

Abbreviations: ICD, international classification of diseases; NOS, not otherwise specified, NWRCR, North Western Regional Cancer Registry; OGJ, oesophagogastric cancer

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