PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - J P Byrne AU - J M Mathers AU - J M Parry AU - S E A Attwood AU - J Bancewicz AU - C B J Woodman TI - Site distribution of oesophagogastric cancer DP - 2002 Mar 01 TA - Journal of Clinical Pathology PG - 191--194 VI - 55 IP - 3 4099 - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/55/3/191.short 4100 - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/55/3/191.full SO - J Clin Pathol2002 Mar 01; 55 AB - 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.