Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology logoLink to Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
. 1993 Jan;120(1-2):95–99. doi: 10.1007/BF01200731

Adenocarcinomas of esophagus and cardia in comparison with gastric carcinoma

G Heidl 1,✉, P Langhans 2, W Mellin 3, H Bünte 2, E Grundmann 4
PMCID: PMC12200639  PMID: 8270616

Abstract

Since the carcinomas of the cardia and the adenocarcinomas of the esophagus show many similarities in their histological and morphological descriptions, a detailed comparative study was attempted on the basis of 66 esophageal carcinomas in adenoid differentiation, 359 carcinomas of the cardia, 1288 gastric carcinomas in infracardial localisation, and 492 squamous carcinomas of the esophagus. The evaluation yielded no significant differences between the adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and the cardia neither in age and sex distribution nor with regard to the classifications of Borrmann, WHO, Ming, and Laurén, but a significant discrimination was possible between esophageal and cardial adenocarcinoma together, on the one hand, and infracardial gastric carcinoma on the other. Furthermore, esophageal adenocarcinomas were localized preferentially in the lower third, unlike squamous carcinomas of the same organ. These results suggest that esophageal adenocarcinoma and carcinoma of the cardia must be considered as one separate entity, probably originating from a common stem cell. They further suggest that the cardia belongs to the esophagus rather than to the stomach.

Key words: Adenocarcinoma, Gastric carcinoma, Esophagus, Cardia

References

  1. Blot WJ, Devesa SS, Kneller RW, Fraumeni JF (1991) Rising incidence of the esophagus and gastric cardia. JAMA 265:1287–1289 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Borrmann R (1926) Geschwülste des Magens. In: Handbuch der speziellen Pathologischen Anatomie und Histologie, Vol IV, part 1. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 812–1054 [Google Scholar]
  3. Bosch A, Frias Z, Caldwell WL (1979) Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. Cancer 43:1557–1561 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cameron AJ, Ott BJ, Payne WS (1985) The incidence of adenocarcinoma in columnar lined (Barrett's) esophagus. N Engl J Med 313:857–859 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Duhaylongsod FG, Wolfe WG (1991) Barrett's esophagus and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and gastroesophagus junction. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 102:36–41 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gunnlaugsson GH, Wychulis AR, Roland C, Ellis FH Jr (1970) Analysis of the records of 1657 patients with carcinoma of the esophagus and cardia of the stomach. Surg Gynecol Obstet 997–1005 [PubMed]
  7. Haggitt RC, Tryzelaar J, Ellis FH, Colcher H (1978) Adenocarcinoma complicating columnar epithelium-lined (Barrett's) esophagus. Am J Clin Pathol 70:1–5 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Heidl G, Awlasewicz I, Dunkel K, Langhans P (1988) Das Kardiakarzinom als eigenständige Entität des Magenkarzinoms. In: Langhans P et al. (eds) Aktuelle Therapie des Adenokarzinoms. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 29–33 [Google Scholar]
  9. Heidl G, Langhans P, Tünnerhoff B, Krieg V, Dunkel K, Böcker W (1990) Adeno-versus Plattenepithelkarzinom des Oesophagus. In: Langhans P et al. (eds) Aktuelle Therapie des Oesophaguskarzinoms. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 92–97 [Google Scholar]
  10. Husemann B (1987) Indikatorische und sich daraus ergebende operative Fehler beim Kardiakarzinom. In: Häring R (ed) Indikatorische und operative Fehler in der Chirurgie Abdominalchirurgie—Gefäßchirurgie. De Gruyter, Berlin New York, pp 153–158 [Google Scholar]
  11. Immich H (1974) Medizinische Statistik. Eine Einführungsvorlesung. Schattauer, Stuttgart New York [Google Scholar]
  12. Kalish RJ, Clancy PE, Orringer MB, Appelman HD (1984) Clinical, epidemiologic and morphologic comparison between adenocarcinomas arising in Barrett's esophagus mucosa and in the gastric cardia. Gastroenterology 86:461–467 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Laurén P (1965) The two histological main types of gastric carcinoma: diffuse and so-called intestinal-type carcinoma. An attempt at a histo-clinical classification. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand 64:31–49 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Li L, Pan GL (1984) Pathlogy of carcinoma of the gastric cardia. In: Huan GJ, Kái WY (eds) Carcinoma of the esophagus and gastric cardia. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 117–154 [Google Scholar]
  15. Lortat-Jacob J-L, Maillard JN, Richard CI-A, Fekete F, Huguier M, Conte-Marti J (1968) Primary esophagus adenocarcinoma: report of 16 cases. Surgery 64:535–543 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. MacDonald WC (1972) Clinical and pathologic features of adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia. Cancer 29:724–732 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. MacDonald WC, MacDonald JB (1987) Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and/or gastric cardia. Cancer 60:1094–1098 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. McPeak E, Warren S (1948) Histologic features of carcinoma of the cardioesophageal junction and cardia. Am J Pathol 24:971–991 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Ming SC (1977) Gastric carcinoma. A pathobiological classification. Cancer 39:2475–2485 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Misumi A, Murakami A, Harada K, Baba K, Akagi M (1989) Definition of carcinoma of the gastric cardia. Langenbecks Arch Chir 374:221–226 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Morstyn G, Thomas RJ, Ma J, John DJBS, Abbott M, Van Cooten R, Bhathal PS (1985) Similarity between adenocarcinomas (AC) arising in Barrett's esophagus (BE) and arising at the cardio-esophagus junction (CEJ). Proc Annu Meet Am Assoc Cancer Res 26:147 [Google Scholar]
  22. Mulligan RM, Rember RR (1954) Histogenesis and biological behavior of gastric carcinoma. Arch Pathol 58:1–25 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Oota K, Sobin LH (1977) Histological typing of gastric and oesophageal tumours. International histological classification of tumours. No 18. World Health Organization, Geneva [Google Scholar]
  24. Potet F, Duchatelle V (1990) A Barrett's oesophagus. Curr Top Pathol 81:43–60 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Potet F, Flejou JF, Gervaz H, Paraf F (1991) Adenocarcinoma of the lower esophagus and the esophagogastric junction. Semin Diagn Pathol 8:126–136 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Powell J, McConkey CC (1990) Incidence of adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia and adjacent sites. Br J Cancer 62:440–443 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Puestow CB, Gillesby WJ, Guynn VL (1955) Cancer of the esophagus. Arch Surg 70:662–671 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Rosenberg JC, Budev H, Edwards RC, Singal S, Steiger Z, Sunderson AS (1985) Analysis of adenocarcinoma in Barrett's esophagus utilizing a staging system. Cancer 55:1353–1360 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Sanfey H, Hamilton SR, Smith RRL, Cameron JL (1985) Carcinoma arising in Barrett's esophagus. Surg. Gynecol Obstet 161:570–574 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Sasse W, Bünte H, Heinicke A (1985) Zur Prognose des Kardiakarzinoms. Langenbecks Arch Chir 365:205–218 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Skinner DB, Walther BC, Riddell RH, Schmidt H, Iascone C, De Meester TR (1983) Barrett's esophagus: comparison of benign and malignant cases. Ann Surg 198:554–566 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Siewert JR, Hölscher AH, Becker K, Gössner W (1987) Kardiakarzinom: Versuch einer therapeutisch relevanten Klassifikation. Chirurg 58:25–32 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Sons HU, Borchard F (1986) Cancer of the distal esophagus and cardia. Incidence, tumour infiltration and metastatic spread. Ann Surg 203:188–194 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Spechler SJ, Robbins AH, Rubins HB, Vincent ME, Heeren T, Doos WG, Colton T, Schimmel EM (1984) Adenocarcinoma and Barrett's esophagus: an overrated risk? Gastroenterology 87:927–933 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Spiessl B, Hermanek P, Scheibe O, Wagner G (1985) Zur TNM/pTNM-Klassifikation maligner Tumoren. UICC TNM-Atlas, Illustrierter Leitfaden. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York [Google Scholar]
  36. Sprung DJ, Ellis FH, Gibb SP (1984) Incidence of adenocarcinoma in Barrett's esophagus (abstract). Am J Gastroenterol 79:817 [Google Scholar]
  37. Wang HH, Antonioli DA, Goldman H (1986) Comparative features of esophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma: recent changes in type and frequency. Hum Pathol 17:482–487 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES