Morphologic features in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma of young adults in north China.

Abstract

North China has an adjusted annual mortality rate of more than 100 per 100,000 persons for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, its occurrence in young adults is considered uncommon. The clinical data and surgically resected specimens of 1033 cases of esophageal SCC were analyzed from the archives of an university hospital in Hebei, North China. There were 76 (7.4%) specimens from young adults (aged 35 years younger, Group 1) in the sample, and the clinicopathologic findings of these patients were compared with those of patients older than 35 years of age (Group 2, N = 957). The mean age was 31.1 years for Group 1 and 52.2 years for Group 2. The male-to-female ratio was 3.0 and 2.3, respectively (P < 0.01). The 2-year survival rates were 42.1% for Group 1 and 54.0% for Group 2 (P < 0.05). The 10-year survival rates were 9.2% and 14.5%, respectively. Group 1 patients had more diffuse infiltrative growth (P < 0.025). Poorly differentiated SCC and vessel invasion were also common in Group 1. Conversely, Group 2 had more cases with fibrocollagenous stroma around the tumor (P < 0.001) and obvious germinal center hyperplasia in the regional lymph node (P < 0.05). The prognosis of young adults with esophageal SCC was worse than that of their older counterpart.