CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER: A STUDY OF PATIENTS OPERATED ON IN A HOSPITAL COMPLEX IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Introduction: Esophageal cancer is the 8th most common cancer in the world, being extremely aggressive and usually diagnosed in late stages. In Brazil, an estimated 10,790 new cases of the disease and 8,402 deaths per year. Dietary factors are among the main risk factors for the carcinogenic process. However, differences are observed due to ethnic factors and geographical distribution, which influence the clinical and pathological profile of patients. Objective: Analysis of the clinical, pathological and surgical profile of patients with esophageal cancer at a referral hospital in the southern region of Brazil. Methodology: Retrospective cohort of 126 patients with esophageal cancer, operated between 2012 and 2017. Since data were collected in the hospital system, descriptive and survival analyzes were performed. All ethical aspects were respected in the study. RESULTS AND Conclusions: In the cohort, 92 patients were male, with a mean age of 63 years. The most frequent histological type of cancer was squamous cell carcinoma (63.5%). Primary surgery was performed in 80.2% of cases, with an average surgical procedure time of 411.32 min, with the most frequent type of surgery being a transhiatal (43.6%). The remaining 19.8% received a neoadjuvant treatment. Of the sample, 20% obtained a complete pathological response. The most frequent tumor location (44.4%) was a gastric esophagus transition. As for the histological grade, 57.2% of the lesions were grade 2. Clinical stage II was the most frequent (42.8%). Disease recurrence occurred in 36% of patients, with median cohort survival of 18.5 months over an average follow-up period of 48 months. In addition, 12.9% of patients died within the first 30 postoperative days. As for the behavioral profile, 90 cases stated active smoking and 58 patients the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The high rate of recurrence and mortality of patients reflect the importance of new methodologies for the early diagnosis of esophageal cancer.