Inclusion Criteria

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- High grade dysplasia of the esophagus who would undergo esophagectomy OR esophageal
cancer at stage T1-T3, N0-N1 who require esophagectomy (patients with M1 disease
and/or bulky lymph node involvement were excluded).

- Pathological confirmation of a diagnosis of cancer or high-grade dysplasia of the
esophagus by biopsy.

- Computerized tomography (CT) scan of chest and abdomen within 6 weeks prior to
registration

- Stomach must be available for conduit

- Age of 18 and over

- ECOG performance status of 0-2

- Creatinine less than 2 mg/dL

- Patients with esophageal cancer who would be treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy
and/or radiation were eligible. If patients were registered prior to receiving
neoadjuvant chemotherapy they were allowed up to 5 months to complete therapy and any
restaging that was necessary before operation was performed.

- The patient was considered an appropriate candidate for surgery based on preoperative
clinical staging and physiological factors prior to registration as documented in the
surgical plan. Pre-operative staging should include:

- Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)

- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan and/or laparoscopic staging
(Laparoscopic staging could be performed on the day of resection. Additional
evaluation was recommended if the PET scan suggested distant metastatic
disease.)

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

- Cancer extending into the stomach more than 20%

- Prior anti-reflux or gastric operations

- Prior right thoracotomy

- Prior major neck operation other than the removal of superficial skin lesion