Disseminated Epithelial Tumor Cells in Bone Marrow of Patients with Esophageal Cancer: Detection and Prognostic Significance

p < 0.01). It was concluded that although bone marrow is not a preferential site of overt metastasis of esophageal cancer, the frequent occurrence of isolated tumor cells at this distant site indicates that hematogenous dissemination of viable malignant cells occurs early in tumor progression.