Clinical Characteristics and Prognostic Factors of Esophageal Spindle Cell Carcinoma

Background Esophageal spindle cell carcinoma (ESpCC) is a malignant tumor composed of sarcomatous components. ESpCC is treated as a squamous cell carcinoma. However, because ESpCC is a rare tumor, little is known regarding its clinical characteristics and prognosis. Objective This article was to discuss the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognostic factors of ESpCC. Methods All the clinical and pathological data of 25 cases of ESpCC were retrospectively analyzed. Results The sex ratio of male vs female was 2.12:1. The male median age was 55 years, and the female median age was 62 years. A total of 25 cases were performed pathological biopsy and the accuracy was 48%. The most common site for ESpCC was the middle segment of the esophagus (60%). The most common gross tumor type of ESpCC was intraluminal type (40%). The local lymph node metastasis rate was 24%. Three-year and five-year survival rates after operation were 68% and 44%, respectively. Single factor analysis showed that the N stage, T stage, pTNM stage were the facors influencing the prognosis (P<0.05). Conclusion ESpCC predominantly occurs in males and in the middle segment of the esophagus, and with a higher misdiagnosis before operation and good prognosis after operation. The intraluminal type is the most common gross tumor type. Radical operation is the preferred treatment for ESpCC. Key words Esophagus, Spindle cell carcinoma, survival analysis