Evaluation of the results of oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer. The long-term results of standard techniques of oesophagectomy were examined in 127 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus. A near-total oesophagectomy with a cervical anastomosis was performed in 93 patients and an oesophagogastrectomy with an intrathoracic anastomosis was carried out in 34 patients. One hundred and eight patients had a curative oesophagectomy and 19 patients had a palliative resection. Eight patients received radiotherapy to the tumour bed. There were 15 deaths in hospital and the overall 5-year survival rate including perioperative deaths was 13.2 per cent. Survival was adversely affected by incomplete excision of macroscopic tumour (P less than 0.001), positive regional lymph nodes (P less than 0.05) and distant lymphatic metastases (P less than 0.02). The 5-year survival rate of patients with tumour invasion beyond the oesophageal wall (T3) and negative nodes was 20 per cent. Postoperative irradiation had no effect on the survival of patients with gross residual tumour. Complete clearance of microscopic tumour was achieved in 50 per cent of patients with T3 tumours and this group did not benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy. Survival in patients undergoing curative oesophagectomy with residual microscopic tumour, however, was significantly improved by irradiation of the tumour bed (P less than 0.01). These results suggest that the survival of patients can be increased significantly by the excision of all gross tumour and by identification of those who will benefit from local radiotherapy. 