TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 17. Cancer of the Esophagus A1 - Law, Simon A2 - Zinner, Michael J. A2 - Ashley, Stanley W. Y1 - 2013 N1 - T2 - Maingot's Abdominal Operations, 12e AB - One of the earliest descriptions of esophageal cancer was in the second century ad, when Galen described a fleshy obstructing growth in the esophagus, which was responsible for the inability to swallow and led to emaciation and death. In early Chinese literature, a patient who had esophageal cancer was described as “one suffers in autumn, and does not live to see the coming summer.” Improvement in treatment strategies has resulted in better outcome. However, most patients are still diagnosed at an advanced disease stage, with consequent poor prognosis. In 1877, Czerny was the first to successfully resect a cervical esophageal cancer and the patient lived for 15 months. Torek in 1913 performed the first successful transthoracic resection.1 A 67-year-old woman had a squamous cell cancer of the midesophagus. Through a left thoracotomy, the esophagus was resected. The proximal cervical esophagus was brought out through an incision anterior to the sternocleidomastoid muscle and tunneled subcutaneously along the anterior chest wall, where a cutaneous esophagostomy was fashioned. The patient was fed via a rubber tube connecting the esophagostomy with a gastrostomy. The patient lived for 17 years. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/23 UR - accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=57009514 ER -