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Esophageal carcinoma (CA) represents a significant global health risk, attributable to its origin from esophageal epithelium, among many other associated risk factors. Its alarming rise in younger age groups, especially among females, is concerning, even though historically, it has been more common in older populations. This modification emphasizes how complex the interaction of genetic susceptibility, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices is in determining the course of a disease. It is impossible to overstate the importance of an early diagnosis and multidisciplinary care, especially for younger patients where delayed detection is expected. Through the use of evidence-based practices, physical therapy has emerged as a crucial part of the overall care of patients with esophageal cancer. The six-minute walk test (6MWT), a popular physiotherapy evaluation tool, can be used to evaluate functional ability and exercise tolerance. Understanding how well younger people can exercise using the 6MWT is significant since they have more excellent exercise capacity than older people. This test helps physiotherapists evaluate the improvement of a patient's exercise capacity before and after the rehabilitation. In this case study, the 31-year-old woman's incredible recovery from esophageal cancer was made possible by extensive cardio-respiratory physiotherapy rehabilitation, demonstrating the significant influence of this physiotherapeutic intervention on functional status and general well-being. Through this study, we contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge as well as the caring, patient-centered ideology that guides oncology treatment today.

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En el tratamiento quirúrgico del cáncer de esófago, la cirugía robótica permite realizar una anastomosis manual intratorácica de manera más sencilla, rápida y cómoda para el cirujano que la cirugía abierta y la cirugía mínimamente invasiva tradicional. Con ello evitamos el uso de instrumentos de autosutura, algunos de los cuales precisan una pequeña toracotomía para su introducción. No obstante, la extracción de la pieza exige la práctica de esa toracotomía, de tamaño variable, y que puede asociar dolor torácico intenso. Describimos una sencilla modificación técnica del Ivor Lewis robótico clásico que permite la extracción de la pieza quirúrgica por una mínima incisión abdominal, evitando la necesidad de fracturar costillas de forma controlada, así como las posibles secuelas de practicar una incisión en la pared torácica.(AU)

In the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer, robotic surgery allows performing an intrathoracic hand-sewn anastomosis in a simpler, faster and more comfortable way for the surgeon than open surgery and traditional minimally invasive surgery. With this, we avoid the use of self-suture instruments, some of which require a small thoracotomy for their introduction. However, the retrieval of the specimen requires the practice of this thoracotomy, of variable size, that can be associated with intense chest pain. We describe a technical modification of the classic robotic Ivor Lewis that allows removal of the surgical piece through a minimal abdominal incision, thus avoiding controlled rib fracture, as well as the possible sequelae of making an incision in the chest wall.(AU)

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In the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer, robotic surgery allows performing an intrathoracic handsewn anastomosis in a simpler, faster and more comfortable way for the surgeon than open surgery and traditional minimally invasive surgery. With this, we avoid the use of self-suture instruments, some of which require a small thoracotomy for their introduction. However, the retrieval of the specimen requires the practice of this thoracotomy, of variable size, that can be associated with intense chest pain. We describe a technical modification of the classic robotic Ivor Lewis that allows removal of the surgical piece through a minimal abdominal incision, thus avoiding controlled rib fracture, as well as the possible sequelae of making an incision in the chest wall.

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Esophageal cancer has been reported to be the seventh most common cancer and the sixth most common cause of mortality. Use of advanced diagnostic techniques has increased the detection of preoperative metastases and resulted in better patient selection for further management by curative surgery. We carried out a study to evaluate the outcome of esophagectomy at our institute in terms of acute leak, mortality and hospital stay. We also looked at various preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative risk factors contributing to leak after esophagectomy. We evaluated 589 patients during the period from January 2009 to December 2019. All these patients underwent elective esophagectomy for esophageal cancer at our hospital. Out of these, leak was seen in 30 patients (5.1%). We found no statistically significant difference when evaluating patient and tumour characteristics of patients who developed leak against those who did not. We also didn't find any significant difference in intraoperative or postoperative factors between the two groups. Proper preoperative evaluation and optimization are necessary to overcome various patient co-morbidities. On the basis of our study we conclude that when performed in high-volume centers with an adequately trained multi-disciplinary team approach, esophagectomy for carcinoma has a good outcome.

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BACKGROUND: Although the transmediastinal approach as a radical esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma patients has attracted attention, its advantages over the transthoracic approach remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of transmediastinal esophagectomy (TME) in terms of postoperative respiratory complications compared to that of open transthoracic esophagectomy (TTE). METHODS: We reviewed patients with thoracic and abdominal esophageal carcinoma who underwent TME or TTE between February 2014 and November 2021. We compared postoperative respiratory complications as the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes included perioperative operation time, blood loss, postoperative complications, and the number of harvested mediastinal lymph nodes. RESULTS: Overall, 60 and 54 patients underwent TME and TTE, respectively. The baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups, except for age and histological type. There were no intraoperative lethal complications in either group. The incidence of respiratory complications was significantly lower in the TME group than in the TTE group (6.7 vs. 22.2%, p = 0.03). The TME group had a shorter operation time (403 vs. 451 min, p < 0.01), less blood loss (107 vs. 253 mL, p < 0.01), and slightly higher anastomotic leakage (11.7 vs. 5.6%, p = 0.33). The number of harvested lymph nodes was similar in both groups (24 vs. 26, p = 0.10). Multivariate analysis revealed that TME is an independent factor in reducing respiratory complications (odds ratio = 0.27, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: TME for esophageal carcinoma was performed safely. TME was superior to TTE in terms of postoperative respiratory complications; however, the relatively higher frequency of anastomotic leakage should be considered and requires further evaluation.

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Transthoracic esophagectomy (TTE) for esophageal cancer facilitates mediastinal dissection; however, it has a significant impact on cardiopulmonary status. High-risk patients may therefore be better candidates for transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) in order to prevent serious complications. This study addressed short-term outcome following TTE and THE in patients that are considered to have a higher risk of surgery-related morbidity. This population-based study included patients who underwent a curative esophagectomy between 2011 and 2018, registered in the Dutch Upper GI Cancer Audit. The Charlson comorbidity index was used to assign patients to a low-risk (score ≤ 1) and high-risk group (score ≥ 2). Propensity score matching was applied to produce comparable groups between high-risk patients receiving TTE and THE. Primary endpoint was mortality (in-hospital/30-day mortality), secondary endpoints included morbidity and oncological outcomes. Additionally, a matched subgroup analysis was performed, including only cervical reconstructions. Of 5,438 patients, 945 and 431 high-risk patients underwent TTE and THE, respectively. After propensity score matching, mortality (6.3 vs 3.3%, P = 0.050), overall morbidity, Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3 complications, pulmonary complications, cardiac complications and re-interventions were significantly more observed after TTE compared to THE. A significantly higher mortality after TTE with a cervical reconstruction was found compared to THE (7.0 vs. 2.2%, P = 0.020). Patients with a high Charlson comorbidity index predispose for a complicated postoperative course after esophagectomy, this was more outspoken after TTE compared to THE. In daily practice, these outcomes should be balanced with the lower lymph node yield, but comparable positive node count and radicality after THE.

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Background: Anatomically, the esophagus is located within the mediastinum, and thus it potentially a transcervical approach for esophagectomy, which avoids thoracic manipulation, could be an alternative to transthoracic esophagectomy for the surgical resection of esophageal cancer. A modified transcervical minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE), laparo-gastroscopic esophagectomy (LGE), was recently introduced using an integrated gastroscope to mobilize the esophagus. As such, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is necessary to validate its value compared to transthoracic MIE, which carries a high risk of morbidity due to thoracic manipulation. Methods: This prospective study plans to enroll patients with resectable esophageal cancer with a pathological diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma patients over a 2-year period. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of 2 groups in a 1:1 ratio: patients in Group A will radical LGE and patients in Group B will receive radical laparo-thoracoscopic esophagectomy (LTE). Perioperative and long-term outcomes of all patients will be collected and analyzed. The primary end point will be perioperative morbidity, and the secondary end points will include 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) and quality of life (QOL) score. Other data that will be collected and compared between the groups include the number of harvested lymph nodes, surgical Apgar score, and duration of operation. Discussion: Transthoracic MIE is the most widely accepted approach for treating esophageal cancer. In this RCT, transthoracic MIE and transcervical LGE will be compared with respect to oncological and surgical outcomes (oncological none-inferiority and surgical superiority). Trial Registration: This study is registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200055312) with the name of 'Transcervical versus Transthoracic Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy: A Randomized and Controlled Trial' on January 6, 2022. Details can be found on http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=133224.

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Following esophagectomy, anatomical reconstruction with a gastric tube is the most common practice. The construction of the gastric tube is done with staplers nowadays, be it a minimally invasive esophagectomy or a conventional open surgery. Even though anastomotic leak and conduit necrosis are reported widely in the literature, the number of studies on staple line dehiscence is meager in comparison. Management of conduit failure usually sacrifices conduit combined with a diverting cervical esophagostomy. We report a case of successful surgical management of a big staple line dehiscence and 'salvaging of the conduit'.

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BACKGROUND: Hybrid and minimally invasive approaches have emerged as less invasive alternatives to open Ivor Lewis esophagectomy. The aim of this study was to compare surgical outcomes between open (OE), hybrid (HE), and totally minimally invasive esophagectomy (TMIE). METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to analyze outcomes after OE, HE, and TMIE with intrathoracic anastomosis. Main outcomes included anastomotic leak rate, overall morbidity, and 30-day mortality. A meta-analysis of proportions was used to assess the effect of each approach on different outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 130 studies comprising 16,053 patients were included for analysis; 8081 (50.3%) underwent OE, 1524 (9.5%) HE, and 6448 (40.2%) TMIE. The risk of anastomotic leak was lower after OE (odds ratio [OR], 0.71; 95% CI, 0.62-0.81; P < .0001). Overall morbidity rate was 45% (95% CI, 38%-52%) after OE, 40% (95% CI, 25%-59%) after HE, and 37% (95% CI, 32%-43%) after TMIE. Risk estimation showed higher odds of postoperative mortality after OE (OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.76-2.81; P < .0001) and HE (OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.32-2.81; P < .001), compared with TMIE. Median length of hospital stay (LOS) was 14.1 (range, 8-28), 12.5 (range, 8-18), and 11.9 (range, 7-30) days after OE, HE and TMIE, respectively (P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: HE and TMIE are associated with lower rates of overall morbidity, reduced postoperative mortality, and shorter LOS, compared with OE. TMIE is associated with lower mortality rates and shorter LOS than HE. Further efforts are needed to widely embrace TMIE in a safe manner.

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PURPOSE: Esophageal perforation is associated with high morbidity and mortality. In addition to surgical treatment, endoscopic endoluminal stent placement and endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT) are established methods in the management of this emergency condition. Although health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is becoming a major issue in the evaluation of any therapeutic intervention, not much is known about HRQoL, particularly in the long-term follow-up of patients treated for non-neoplastic esophageal perforation with different treatment strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' outcome after non-neoplastic esophageal perforation with focus on HRQoL in the long-term follow-up. METHODS: Patients treated for non-neoplastic esophageal perforation at the University Hospital Cologne from January 2003 to December 2014 were included. Primary outcome and management of esophageal perforation were documented. Long-term quality of life was assessed using the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI), the Health-Related Quality of Life Index (HRQL) for patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaires for general and esophageal specific QoL (QLQ-C30 and QLQ-OES18). RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were included in the study. Based on primary treatment, patients were divided into an endoscopic (n = 27; 46.6%), surgical (n = 20; 34.5%), and a conservative group (n = 11; 19%). Short- and long-term outcome and quality of life were compared. HRQoL was measured after a median follow-up of 49 months. HRQoL was generally reduced in patients with non-neoplastic esophageal perforation. Endoscopically treated patients showed the highest GIQLI overall score and highest EORTC general health status, followed by the conservative and the surgical group. CONCLUSION: HRQoL in patients with non-neoplastic esophageal perforation is reduced even in the long-term follow-up. Temporary stent or EVT is effective and provides a good alternative to surgery, not only in the short-term but also in the long-term follow-up.

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BACKGROUND: A transthoracic esophagectomy is associated with high rates of morbidity. Minimally invasive esophagectomy has emerged to decrease such morbidity. The aim of this study was to accurately determine surgical outcomes after totally minimally invasive Ivor-Lewis Esophagectomy (TMIE). METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to identify original articles analyzing patients who underwent TMIE. Main outcomes included overall morbidity, major morbidity, pneumonia, arrhythmia, anastomotic leak, chyle leak, and mortality. A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the overall weighted proportion and its 95% confidence interval (CI) for each analyzed outcome. RESULTS: A total of 5619 patients were included for analysis; 4781 (85.1%) underwent a laparoscopic/thoracoscopic esophagectomy and 838 (14.9%) a robotic-assisted esophagectomy. Mean age of patients was 63.5 (55-67) years and 75.8% were male. Overall morbidity and major morbidity rates were 39% (95% CI, 33%-45%) and 20% (95% CI, 13%-28%), respectively. Postoperative pneumonia and arrhythmia rates were 10% (95% CI, 8%-13%) and 12% (95% CI, 8%-17%), respectively. Anastomotic leak rate across studies was 8% (95% CI, 6%-10%). Chyle leak rate was 3% (95% CI, 2%-5%). Mortality rate was 2% (95% CI, 2%-2%). Median ICU stay and length of hospital stay were 2 (1-4) and 11.2 (7-20) days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Totally minimally invasive Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy is a challenging procedure with high morbidity rates. Strategies to enhance postoperative outcomes after this operation are still needed.

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BACKGROUND: Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging is an emerging technology that might help decreasing anastomotic leakage (AL) rates. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of ICG fluorescence imaging for the prevention of AL after minimally invasive esophagectomy with intrathoracic anastomosis. METHODS: A systematic literature review of the MEDLINE and Cochrane databases was performed to identify all articles on totally minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy. Studies were then divided into two groups based on the use or not of ICG for perfusion assessment. Primary outcome was anastomotic leak. Secondary outcomes included operative time, ICG-related adverse reactions, and mortality rate. A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the overall weighted proportion and its 95% confidence interval (CI) for main outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 3,171 patients were included for analysis: 381 (12%) with intraoperative ICG fluorescence imaging and 2,790 (88%) without ICG. Mean patients' age and proportion of males were similar between groups. Mean operative time was also similar between both groups (ICG: 354.8 vs. No-ICG: 354.1 minutes, P = 0.52). Mean ICG dose was 12 mg (5-21 mg). No ICG-related adverse reactions were reported. AL rate was 9% (95% CI, 5-17%) and 9% (95% CI, 7-12%) in the ICG and No-ICG groups, respectively. The risk of AL was similar between groups (odds ratio 0.85, 95% CI 0.53-1.28, P = 0.45). Mortality was 3% (95% CI, 1-9%) in patients with ICG and 2% (95% CI, 2-3%) in those without ICG. Median length of hospital stay was also similar between groups (ICG: 13.6 vs. No-ICG: 11.2 days, P = 0.29). CONCLUSION: The use of ICG fluorescence imaging for perfusion assessment does not seem to reduce AL rates in patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy with intrathoracic anastomosis.

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Transthoracic esophagectomy is currently the predominant curative treatment option for resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma. The majority of carcinomas present as locally advanced tumors requiring multimodal strategies with either neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or perioperative chemotherapy alone. Minimally invasive, including robotic, techniques are increasingly applied with a broad spectrum of technical variations existing for the oncological resection as well as gastric reconstruction. At the present, intrathoracic esophagogastrostomy is the preferred technique of reconstruction (Ivor Lewis esophagectomy). With standardized surgical procedures, a complete resection of the primary tumor can be achieved in almost 95% of patients. Even in expert centers, postoperative morbidity remains high, with an overall complication rate of 50-60%, whereas 30- and 90-day mortality are reported to be <2% and <6%, respectively. Due to the complexity of transthoracic esophagetomy and its associated morbidity, esophageal surgery is recommended to be performed in specialized centers with an appropriate caseload yet to be defined. In order to reduce postoperative morbidity, the selection of patients, preoperative rehabilitation and postoperative fast-track concepts are feasible strategies of perioperative management. Future directives aim to further centralize esophageal services, to individualize surgical treatment for high-risk patients and to implement intraoperative imaging modalities modifying the oncological extent of resection and facilitating surgical reconstruction.

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BACKGROUND/AIM: There is no study comparing open esophagectomy (OE), video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) in a single institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included 272 patients who underwent subtotal esophagectomy divided into three groups: OE (n=110), VATS (n=127), and RAMIE (n=35) groups. Moreover, short-term outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Overall complications (CD≥II) were significantly less in the RAMIE than the OE and VATS groups. Recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (CD≥II) was significantly lower in the RAMIE than the OE group (p=0.026) and tended to be lower than that in the VATS group (p=0.059). The RAMIE group had significantly less atelectasis (CD≥I and II), pleural effusion (CD≥I and II), arrhythmia (CD≥II), and dysphagia (CD≥II), than both the OE and VATS groups. CONCLUSION: RAMIE reduced overall postoperative complications after esophagectomy compared with both OE and VATS.

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For localized esophageal cancer, esophageal resection remains the prime form of treatment but is a highly invasive procedure associated with prohibitive morbidity. Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) by laparoscopic or thoracoscopic approach was therefore introduced to reduce surgical trauma and its associated morbidity. We thereby review our minimally invasive esophagectomy results with short- and long-term outcomes. From January 2010 through December 2016, 459 patients with carcinoma esophagus and gastro-esophageal junction undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy were retrospectively reviewed. The morbidity, mortality data with short- and long-term results of the procedure were studied. Patients were stratified into two arms based on the approach into minimally invasive transhiatal esophagectomy (MI-THE) and minimal invasive transthoracic esophagectomy TTE (MI-THE). Thirty days mortality in the whole cohort was 3.5% (2.5% in MI-THE vs. 5% in MI-TTE arm). Anastomotic leak rates (5 vs. 4.9%), median intensive care unit (ICU) stay (4 days), hospital stay (9 days), were similar between both the approaches. Major pulmonary complications were significantly higher in MI-TTE arm (18.9% vs 12.5%) (p 0.047). Cardiac, renal, conduit-related complication rates, vocal cord palsy, chyle leak, re-exploration, and late stricture rates were similar between the groups. The median number of nodes resected was higher in the MI-TTE arm (14 vs. 12) (p 0.002). R0 resection rate in the entire cohort was 89% (87.4% in MI-THE, 92% in MI-TTE arm p 0.12). The median overall survival and disease-free survival were also not different between MI-THE and MI-TTE arms (34 vs. 38 months, p 0.64) (24 vs. 36 months, p 0.67). Minimally invasive esophagectomy either by transhiatal or transthoracic approach is feasible and can be safely accomplished with a low morbidity and mortality and with satisfactory R0 resection rates, good nodal harvest, and acceptable long-term oncological outcomes.

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BACKGROUND: Transthoracic esophagectomy is a crucial independent risk factor for the incidence of postoperative cardiopulmonary complications in elderly or comorbid patients. To reduce postoperative cardiopulmonary complications and promote postoperative recovery. We made an attempt to adopt the single-port inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy for radical esophagectomy in esophageal cancer to observe the clinical application and effect. METHOD: Data of patients with esophageal carcinoma were collected in the Hebei General Hospital from May 2018 to November 2019. The operation time, surgical blood loss, the number of dissected lymph nodes, duration of drainage tube, duration of time on the ventilator, the length of stay in ICU, postoperative complications, the length of postoperative hospital stay were collected to assess the safety and feasibility of the single-port inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy for radical esophagectomy in esophageal cancer. RESULTS: A total of 22 patients with esophageal cancer were analyzed in our research. There were no cases of conversion to thoracotomy、perioperative death or postoperative cardiopulmonary complications. The average operation time of all enrolled patients was 4.26 ± 0.52 h、The surgical blood loss was 142 ± 36.50 ml、The amount of dissected lymph nodes were 21.6 ± 4.2、The duration of drainage tube was 5.8 ± 2.5 days、The duration of time on the ventilator was 6.5 ± 3.4 h、The length of stay in ICU was 1.2 ± 0.4 days、The postoperative hospital stay was 12.6 ± 2.5 days. Among all the enrolled patients, one patient (4.5%) developed anastomotic fistula on the third day after surgery. Anastomotic stricture was found in 5 patients (22.7%). Pleural effusion was found in 4 cases (18.2%). Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury caused hoarseness or cough after drinking water in 3 cases (13.6%).There was one patient (4.5%) of conversion to laparotomy as the patient had serious peritoneal adhesion. All of the patients were discharged successfully. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that this surgery of single-port inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy for radical esophagectomy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is safe and feasible. The feasibility and safety could be further and better investigated with a RCT to achieve more conclusive results.

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OBJECTIVE: Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) has demonstrated superior outcomes compared to open approaches. The myriad of techniques has precluded the recommendation of a standard approach. The addition of robotics to esophageal resection has potential benefits. We sought to examine the outcomes with MIE to include robotics. METHODS: Utilizing a prospective esophagectomy database, we identified patients who underwent (MIE) Ivor Lewis via thoracoscopic/laparoscopic (TL), transhiatal (TH), or robotic-assisted Ivor Lewis (RAIL). Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and complications were analyzed via ANOVA, χ2, and Fisher exact where appropriate. RESULTS: We identified 302 patients who underwent MIE: TL 95 (31.5%), TH 63 (20.8%), and RAIL 144 (47.7%) with a mean age of 65 ± 9.6. The length of operation was longer in the RAIL: TL (299 ± 87), TH (231 ± 65), RAIL (409 ± 104 min), p < 0.001. However, the EBL was lower in the patients undergoing transthoracic approaches (RAIL + TL): TL (189 ± 188 ml), TH (242 ± 380 ml), RAIL (155 ± 107 ml), p = 0.03. Conversion to open was also lower in these patients: TL 7 (7.4%), TH 8 (12.7%), RAIL 0, p < 0.001. The R0 resection rate and lymph node (LN) harvest also favored the RAIL cohort: TL 86 (93.5%), TH 60 (96.8%), and RAIL 144 (100%), p = 0.01; LN: TL 14 ± 7, TH 9 ± 6, and RAIL 20 ± 9, p < 0.001. The overall morbidity was lower in MIE patients that underwent a transthoracic approach vs. transhiatal: TL 29 (30.5%), TH 39 (61.9%), RAIL 34 (23.6%), p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing MIE via thoracoscopic/laparoscopic and robotic transthoracic approaches demonstrated lower EBL, morbidity, and conversion to open compared to the transhiatal approach. Additionally the oncologic outcomes measured by R0 resections and LN harvest also favored the patients who underwent a transthoracic approach.

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BACKGROUND Esophagectomy is the mainstay of treatment for esophageal cancer. Although different surgical approaches have been described, choosing the most appropriate technique is still on debate. We compared the complications of transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) versus left transthoracic esophagectomy (LTE) among a group of Iranian patients with gastroesophageal junction cancer. METHODS This was a retrospective study between 2011 and 2013 on 40 patients with gastroesophageal cancer. 23 patients underwent THE and the others underwent LTE. 30-day postoperative mortality, complications, duration of hospital stay, and number of dissected lymph nodes were studied. RESULTS 37.5% of the patients had squamous cell carcinoma. No mortality was seen. Totally, 10 patients suffered from complications. Cardiac and pulmonary complications occurred in eight and six patients, respectively. No patients suffered from vocal cord injuries and anastomotic leakage. The mean duration of postoperative hospital stay was 11.82 ± 3.8 days, and the mean number of dissected lymph nodes was 8.2 ± 3.9. No significant difference was seen between the two groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Choosing between the approaches for resection of gastroesophageal cancer may not impact the complications and mortality rates. We propose that LTE approach could be used safely in comparison with THE, and that selecting between THE and LTE may be based on the surgeon's preference and experience.

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BACKGROUND: To investigate the long-term efficacy of the minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (MIILE) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients, a retrospective comparison of the quality of life (QOL) and survival between patients who underwent MIILE and left transthoracic esophagectomy (Sweet approach) was conducted. METHODS: A detailed database search identified 614 patients who underwent MIILE and 243 patients who underwent Sweet esophagectomy between January 2011 and December 2017. After propensity score matching, 216 paired cases were selected for statistical analysis. Survival was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier curves or Cox models. RESULTS: MIILE was associated with a longer duration, less blood loss and more lymph node dissected than Sweet esophagectomy. MIILE patients suffered from less pain, less frequently developed pneumonia, and had fewer postoperative complications. Additionally, MIILE patients began oral intake earlier and had a shorter postoperative hospital stay, and enhanced recovery of QOL. There was no significant difference between the approaches regarding the recurrence pattern, 2-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS), except that patients with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage I in the MIILE group demonstrated superior OS and DFS. Pathological TNM stage and postoperative complications were determined to be independent prognostic factors based on the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: MIILE is a safe and feasible approach for treating ESCC patients. MIILE approach may provide more postoperative advantages, enhanced QOL improvement, and more favorable long-term survival in early stage patients than the Sweet procedure.

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