A study of patients with esophageal cancer in North East India: A retrospective study

Background: Esophagus cancer (EC) is one of the fatal malignancies in regard to prognosis with a high mortality rate. Northeast India is considered a high-risk endemic region for EC. This study aimed to understand the pattern and survival outcomes of the patients with EC in this region. Methods: This retrospective data-based study was conducted at a tertiary care cancer center in northeast India. The data were retrieved from the hospital cancer registry data management software from 2010 to 2016. Demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed by descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests. Patients were followed up for 5 years. Survival analysis was done using the Kaplan–Meier method, and to compare the difference, the log-rank test was done, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 58,084 patients registered, a total of 7271 patients were diagnosed with EC. Men showed a preponderance over women. The middle third of the esophagus was the most common subsite involved. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histological variant observed in our study. Radiotherapy (RT) alone was the most common treatment received by the patients. The median survival of 45 months was observed in the patients receiving surgery and RT, followed by surgery and chemotherapy (22 months) and surgery alone (20 months) ( P < 0.00). The 5-year overall survival was 11.4%. Conclusion: The poor prognosis and rising incidence of EC highlight the need for urgent investment in cancer prevention, early detection, and standardized and centralized treatment in this part of the country.