BACKGROUND Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has been a useful method for the accurate staging of esophageal cancer. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of EUS, positron emission tomography (PET), and computed tomography (CT) in the locoregional staging of resectable esophageal cancer.

METHODS A total of 109 patients with resectable esophageal cancer were prospectively enrolled and retrospectively reviewed for evaluation of preoperative EUS, PET, and CT. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of tumor depth (T) staging and regional lymph nodal (N) staging for each test were compared with the postoperative histopathologic stage as the gold standard.

RESULTS The overall accuracy of EUS for T staging was 72%, and it was the only method for delineating the layers of the esophageal wall. The sensitivities for N staging were 42% for EUS, 49% for PET, and 35% for CT, and their specificities were, respectively, 91, 87, and 93%. The accuracy for N staging was 66% for EUS, 68% for PET, and 63% for CT, and it did not differ significantly across the three tests.

CONCLUSIONS Preoperative EUS for the locoregional staging of esophageal cancer provides excellent T staging accuracy and similar accuracy for N staging compared with PET and CT. Especially in T staging, EUS could play an important role in the choice of candidates for esophageal cancer surgery.