Important Points Revising the Guide Lines for the Clinical and Pathologic Studies on Carcinoma of the Esophagus

Hiroshi Watanabe

Department of Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital

Now the 8th Edition of "Guide Lines" for the Clinical aqnd Pathologic Studies on Carcinoma of the Esophagus was published in 1992. Fifteen years ago, we had stopped the preoperative radiotherapy, and the area of lymph node dissection in surgical treatment for esophageal cacer have been changed that the dissected area became wide. By these changes of treatment, the contents of present rules is of no clinical use. We are revising the rules from 1992. As a important points to revise the rules, we has always trying to meet four requirements; 1) useful, to be simple; 2) to be internationally acceptable; 3) to be adequate for statiscal studies; 4) to be not against the fundamental medical canceptions. Now, residual tumor classification (R), grade of lymph node dissection (D), and curability (A, B, C classification) were revised.

Key words
Guide lines, carcinoma of the esophagus, reguirements for revisions

Reprint requests
Hiroshi Watanabe Department of Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital
5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104 JAPAN

Accepted
November 5, 1997

To read the PDF file you will need Abobe Reader installed on your computer.