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Based on the maternal pertaining to 193 patients with cancer of the esophagus and proximal gastric portion, 22 patients with non-tumor diseases of the stomach and esophagus, 19 donors (aged 18-25 years) and 10 practically healthy subjects aged 34-67 years, it was found that tumor invasion of the stomach body and the presence of such aggravating factors as grade IV dysphagia, inflammatory complications etc. are associated with a significantly increased intensity of serum chemiluminescence. Anesthesia and other factors as a concomitant of surgery reduce considerably the level of blood serum chemiluminescence during the operation, whereas an intensive postoperative therapy retains its initial level. The development of complications during the operation and after it is accompanied with 1.5--2 times or more increased luminescence. Radical surgical and combined treatment would condition the normalization of the luminescence. Radiation treatment first increases and then decreases the luminescence down to normal values.

The report deals with the results of examination of 48 healthy donors and 261 patients suffering from malignant tumors of cardia and esophagus, 84 patients after radical surgery included. Spontaneous chemoluminescence (CL) of blood serum was shown to depend on the general condition of the patient and tumor involvement before treatment: there is a direct correlation between these factors and luminescence intensity. Therefore, CL may be used as a laboratory test providing necessary information for developing treatment modality for each individual case. Within 0.5-60 months after radical treatment, the rise in the intensity of blood serum CL (60-100% and more) was registered in cases of pyo-inflammatory complications (peritonitis, mediastinitis, pleural empyema, etc.) and recurrence and metastatic spreading. A rise in CL intensity by more than 50% and a steady tendency to further increase may be interpreted as a pointer to recurrence or metastasis development.