Clinical Evaluation of Computed Tomography in Esophageal Cancer

Transverse spread of esophageal cancer is a significant prognostic factor equal to the influence of location and length on esophagogram. To examine extraluminal spread of tumors, we studied CT evaluation of the diagnosis and the treatment planning in esophageal cancer. In all 25 patients (100%), CT demonstrated a mass in the surrounding structures. In patients with cancer of the middle third of the esophagus displacement of trachea, aorta and left main bronchus were clearly detected by CT. There were also three patients with complications of esophagobronchial and esophagomediastinal fistulae after radiotherapy. In these cases, it was important to give palliative radiotherapy with decreased total dose. We believe that CT examination is a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of transverse extent of advanced esophageal cancer and for the treatment planning of irradiation in these cases.