BACKGROUND: We examined the prevalence, patterns, and clinical significance of nodal micrometastases in @entity1 with @entity418 . METHODS: Cervical, mediastinal, and abdominal lymph nodes systematically removed from 37 @entity1 without conventional histologic evidence of lymph node @entity3 from @entity1721 were immunohistochemically examined to detect cells that were stained for cytokeratins by the monoclonal antibody cocktail @entity1325 / @entity1326 . Postoperative care and survival were compared in cases with and without such micrometastases. RESULTS: Nodal micrometastases were found in 14 of 37 @entity1 (38%). Among these @entity1 , 9, 7, and 4 had micrometastases to abdominal, mediastinal, and cervical lymph nodes, respectively. @entity86 recurrence was significantly more frequent in @entity1 with micrometastases (50%) than in those without (9%, P = .008). Overall and relapse-free survival in the former group was significantly worse than in the latter group (P = .042 and P = .002, respectively). Nodal micrometastases had an independent prognostic importance for relapse-free survival as determined by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: @entity3 cells are frequently present in lymph nodes, even in @entity1 without histologic evidence of nodal @entity3 from @entity418 . Nodal micrometastases indicates a poorer prognosis after a curative esophagectomy procedure in histologically node-negative cases.

Significance of immunohistochemically demonstrated micrometastases to lymph nodes in XXXX with histologically negative nodes.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity1326 :: ('6508', 'Gene') :: ['AE3'] @entity1721 :: ('MESH:C562729', 'Disease') :: ['esophageal squamous cell carcinoma'] @entity1325 :: ('6521', 'Gene') :: ['AE1'] @entity418 :: ('MESH:D004938', 'Disease') :: ['esophageal cancer'] @entity3 :: ('MESH:D009362', 'Disease') :: ['metastasis', 'Metastatic tumor'] @entity86 :: ('MESH:D019106', 'Disease') :: ['Postoperative tumor']
@entity418 :: (MESH:D004938,Disease) :: ['esophageal cancer']
