A Study of Contractility of Proximal Surgical Margin in Esophageal Cancer

BACKGROUND: The marginal length from main tumor in esophageal cancer is aconsiderable issue regarding surgical management and adjuvant treatment; so we decided to study the contractility effect on the proximal surgical margin after immersing it in10% buffered formalin as a fixative. METHODS: The proximal marginal length of ten sequential patients with esophageal cancer who underwent transhiatal esophagectomy were studied, on the operating table as fresh specimens, immediately after resection, and next 24, 48 and 72 hours after immersing in 10% buffered formalin. RESULTS: The contraction continued through the day 3, the mean contractility after one day was about 27%, after two days was 33% and after three days was 38%. CONCLUSION: This study shows how the proximal esophageal margin can vary by the time, after immersing in 10% buffered formalin and should be considered in every settings and reporting documents by pathologists.