J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 91(9): 1327-1329, 1990

---

Report on the annual meeting

TNM，CLASSIFICATION AND JAPANESE GUIDE LINES FOR CARCINOMA OF THE ESOPHAGUS

First edition of TNM classification including cancer of the esophagus was published in 1968 and revised by proposal of United States in 1978. In this edition, T was classified according to the length and the invasion reaching whole circumference or not. Japanese Guide Lines was first published in 1969, in which extent of the tumor and lymph node metastasis were classified by the different criteria. UICC'S meeting intending to unify different classifications was held at Hawaii in December 1985. At this meeting, we presented the data from 7742 patients accumulated during 1969 and 1978 as a nation-wide registration in Japan. This data showed that the depth of invasion related much more with survival rate than length of the tumor, and its accurate diagnosis could be carried out in about 90% of patients by barium swallow. And the patients with metastasis to the perigastric lymph nodes had same survival rate as those with metastasis to mediastinal nodes. Based on these data, T is classified according to the depth of invasion, and the involved regional hymph nodes not only mediastinal but also perigastric nodeds in new TNM classification published in 1987. This represents an internationalisation of Japanese Guide Lines for esophageal carcinoma.

---

---

To read the PDF file you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer.