Correct Answer: B

Most important is depth of involvement of wall of esophagus and lymph node involvement of the surrounding esophageal tissue.

Length of esophagus involvement is not that important because esophagus has extensive submucosal lymph supply and for complete cure 10 cm excision margin would mean removal of almost total esophagus.

Summary of Key Prognostic Factors in Carcinoma Esophagus

Factor	Prognostic Impact
Depth of invasion	Most important
Lymph node involvement	Highly significant
Distant metastasis	Very poor prognosis
Cellular differentiation	Moderate significance
Tumor length and location	Lesser importance
Patient age/health	Indirectly affects prognosis
Treatment response	Useful for tailoring therapy