ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility of decompression without gastric tube after minimally invasive esophageal cancer surgery.MethodsSeventy-two patients who underwent minimally invasive esophageal cancer resection at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from 2016 to 2018 were selected as a trial group including 68 males and 4 females with an average age of 58.5±7.9 years, who did not use gastric tube for gastrointestinal decompression after surgery. Seventy patients who underwent the same operation from 2013 to 2015 were selected as the control group, including 68 males and 2 females, with an average age of 59.1±6.9 years, who were indwelled with gastric tube for decompression after surgery. We observed and compared the intraoperative and postoperative indicators and complications of the two groups.ResultsThere were no significant differences between the two groups in operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative level of serum albumin, postoperative nasal jejunal nutrition, whether to enter the ICU postoperatively, death within 30 days after surgery, anastomotic leakage, lung infection, vomiting, bloating or hoarseness (P>0.05). No gastroparesis occurred in either group. Compared with the control group, the recovery time of the bowel sounds and the first exhaust time after the indwelling in the trial group were significantly shorter, and the total hospitalization cost, the incidence of nausea, sore throat, cough, foreign body sensation and sputum difficulty were significantly lower (P<0.05).ConclusionIt is feasible to remove the gastric tube for gastrointestinal decompression after minimally invasive esophageal cancer surgery, which will not increase the incidence of postoperative complications, instead, accelerate the postoperative recovery of patients.
Esophageal cancer threatens the lives and health of humans for a long time owing to its high morbidity and mortality. Surgical treatment is still the first choice for early-stage esophageal cancer now, but its high mortality and complication rate during perioperative period cause a huge physiological and psychological burden on patients. The concept of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) was first proposed for colorectal surgery, and later promoted to other surgical fields. Its application in esophagectomy successfully reduces the high mortality and complication rate in the perioperative stage and promotes the rapid recovery of patients. However, the application of ERAS in the field of esophageal cancer is relatively late, and its promotion and application are relatively limited compared to other surgical procedures. In this paper, we review the relevant literature at home and abroad in combination with the current progress of ERAS application of esophageal cancer in China. We also summarize the relevant problems related to the implementation of ERAS, in order to help the promotion and application of ERAS in the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer.
Objective To evaluate the effect of intraoperative fluid infusion volume on postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in patients after minimally invasive endoscopic esophageal carcinoma resection. Methods From June 2019 to August 2021, 486 patients undergoing elective minimally invasive endoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer were retrospectively screened from the electronic medical record information management system and anesthesia surgery clinical information system of West China Hospital of Sichuan University. There were 381 males and 105 females, with a median age of 64.0 years. Taking the incidence of pulmonary complications within 7 days after operation as the primary outcome, the correlation between intraoperative fluid infusion volume and the occurrence of PPCs within 7 days was clearly analyzed by regression analysis. ResultsThe incidence of pulmonary complications within 7 days after surgery was 33.5% (163/486). Regression analysis showed that intraoperative fluid infusion volume was correlated with the occurrence of PPCs [adjusted OR=1.089, 95%CI (1.012, 1.172), P=0.023], especially pulmonary infection [adjusted OR=1.093, 95%CI (1.014, 1.178), P=0.020], and pleural effusion [adjusted OR=1.147, 95%CI (1.007, 1.306), P=0.039]. Pulmonary infection was significantly less in the low intraoperative fluid infusion group [<6.49 mL/(kg·h), n=115] compared with the high intraoperative fluid infusion group [≥6.49 mL/(kg·h), n=371] (18.3% vs. 34.5%, P=0.023). Intraoperative fluid infusion volume was positively associated with death within 30 days after surgery [adjusted OR=1.442, 95%CI (1.056, 1.968), P=0.021]. Conclusion Among patients undergoing elective minimally invasive endoscopic esophageal cancer resection, intraoperative fluid infusion volume is related with the occurrence of PPCs within 7 days after the surgery, especially pulmonary infection and pleural effusion, and may affect death within 30 days after the surgery.
ObjectiveTo analyze the influencing factors of preoperative frailty in elderly esophageal cancer patients, and to construct and evaluate a nomogram model. MethodsElderly esophageal cancer patients hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Navy Medical University from January 2022 to August 2024 were selected. General information of the patients was collected, and the patients were divided into a frailty group and a non-frailty group according to the frailty score. Single-factor and multi-factor logistic regression analysis were used to screen the independent influencing factors of preoperative frailty in elderly esophageal cancer patients, and the nomogram model was constructed and evaluated accordingly. ResultsA total of 332 elderly esophageal cancer patients were included, including 256 males and 76 females, with an average age of (69.71±5.95) years. The incidence of preoperative frailty was 45.48%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age≥70 years [OR=2.986, 95%CI (1.796, 4.965), P<0.001], basic diseases≥2 types [OR=3.129, 95%CI (1.794, 5.457), P=0.012], self-care ability [OR=2.599, 95%CI (1.512, 4.467), P<0.001], and depression [OR=3.784, 95%CI (2.135, 6.706), P=0.005] were independent risk factors for preoperative frailty in elderly esophageal cancer patients. The nomogram model was constructed as follows: Z=−2.038+1.094×(age≥70 years)+1.141×(basic diseases≥2 types)+0.955×self-care ability (non-independent)+1.331×depression, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.802 [95%CI (0.756, 0.847)], and the sensitivity and specificity were 78.8% and 65.2%, respectively. The goodness of fit test showed that the model had good discrimination and calibration (χ2=6.64, P=0.355). ConclusionAge≥70 years, basic diseases≥2 types, self-care ability (non-independent), and depression are independent risk factors for preoperative frailty in elderly esophageal cancer patients. The constructed nomogram model shows good predictive performance and can identify elderly esophageal cancer patients with preoperative frailty, providing a reference for the formulation of corresponding intervention measures.
ObjectiveTo compare the short- and long-term efficacy of surgery and endoscopy in the treatment of early esophageal cancer by a systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsWe extracted data independently from The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science for studies comparing surgery with endoscopy from 2010 to 2020. The primary outcomes including R0 resection rate, long-term overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), major complications, recurrence, hospital stay and cost. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and Engauge Digitizer was used to extract survival curves from relevant literature, and relevant data were calculated based on statistical methods. ResultsA total of 17 studies involving 3 705 patients were included. It was found that patients in the surgery group had a higher R0 resection rate compared with the endoscopic group (OR=0.13, 95%CI 0.07 to 0.27, P<0.001, I2=6%). The total complications rate of resection of esophageal cancer was higher than that of the endoscopic group (OR=0.28, 95%CI 0.16 to 0.50, P<0.001, I2=68%). The length of hospitalization in the endoscopic group was obviously shorter than that in the surgery group (MD=–8.28, 95%CI –12.44 to –4.13, P<0.001, I2=96%). The distant recurrence rate (OR=0.58, 95%CI 0.24 to 1.41, P=0.230, I2=0%) and the local recurrence rate after resection (OR=1.74, 95%CI 0.66 to 4.59, P=0.260, I2=40%) in the endoscopic group was similar to those of the surgery group. There was no significant difference in 5 year-OS rate between the two groups (HR=0.86, 95%CI 0.67 to 1.11, P=0.25, I2=0%), which was subdivided into two groups: adenocarcinoma (HR=0.55, 95%CI 0.15 to 2.05, P=0.37, I2=0%) and squamous cell carcinoma (HR=0.68, 95%CI 0.46 to 1.01, P=0.06, I2=0%), showing that there was no difference between the two subgroups. There was no significant difference in the DSS rate (HR=0.72, 95%CI 0.49 to 1.05, P=0.090, I2=0%) between the two groups. The cost of the surgery group was significantly higher than that of the endoscopic group (MD=–12.97, 95%CI –18.02 to –7.92, P<0.001, I2=93%).ConclusionThe evidence shows that endotherapy may be an effective treatment for early esophageal neoplasm when considering the long-term outcomes whether it is squamous or adenocarcinoma, even though it is not as effective as surgery in the short-term efficacy.
Objective To systematically evaluate the correlation between the expression of microRNA (miRNA)-21 and the prognosis of esophageal cancer. Methods PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Wanfang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and VIP Databases were searched by for the literature on the correlation between miRNA-21 and the prognosis of esophageal cancer till July 10, 2022. Two researchers independently performed literature screening, quality evaluation, and data extraction. Statistical analysis was conducted with Stata 14.0. Results A total of 13 articles were included, including 1 204 patients. The results of meta-analysis showed that: the overall survival (OS) of patients with high expression of miRNA-21 was lower than that of patients with low expression of miRNA-21 [hazard ratio (HR)=2.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.56, 2.84), P<0.001]. miRNA-21 expression was not associated with disease free survival [HR=2.53, 95%CI (0.67, 8.22), P=0.182]. The OS of Asian patients with high expression of miRNA-21 was significantly lower [HR=2.44, 95%CI (1.71, 3.49), P=0.005], while the OS of non-Asian patients was not related to miRNA-21 expression [HR=1.34, 95%CI (0.94, 1.91), P=0.363]. The high expression of miRNA-21 was correlated with the decreased OS in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [HR=2.22, 95%CI (1.52, 3.26), P=0.001], while the OS in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma was not correlated with the expression of miRNA-21 [HR=1.39, 95%CI (0.63, 3.06), P=0.409]. Conclusion The overexpression of miRNA-21 is associated with poor prognosis and might be regarded as a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with esophageal cancer.
In recent years, robot-assisted esophagectomy has become increasingly widespread, but the esophagogastric anastomosis step remains relatively complex and cumbersome. Currently, commonly used gastrointestinal reconstruction anastomosis techniques include end-to-end anastomosis, end-to-side anastomosis, and side-to-side anastomosis. Depending on the anastomosis method, they can be further divided into manual anastomosis and mechanical anastomosis, with common instruments including circular staplers and linear staplers. In esophageal cancer surgery, the choice of esophagogastric anastomosis technique is typically based on the tumor’s location and size as well as the surgeon’s preference. Each anastomosis technique has its advantages and disadvantages. With continuous improvements in anastomosis techniques and updates in stapling instruments, the incidence of complications after esophagogastric anastomosis has been effectively reduced. However, safely and efficiently completing gastrointestinal reconstruction during surgery remains a significant challenge. Scholars have made extensive explorations in this field, actively proposing and achieving various reconstruction methods, leading to significant progress. This article reviews the research progress of robot-assisted esophagogastric anastomosis techniques from both the anastomosis techniques and methods perspectives.
Objective To systematically review the prognostic significance of extranodal extension in gastric cancer, esophageal cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer. Methods We searched EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 9, 2016), PubMed, CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data databases from inception to August 2016, to collect cohort studies about the prognostic significance of extranodal extension. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and evaluated the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.2 software. Results A total of 16 studies involving 9 445 participants were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that for gastric cancer patients, the overall survival (OS) (HR=1.71, 95%CI 1.49 to 2.00,P<0.000 01), disease free survival (DFS) (HR=1.39, 95%CI 1.12 to 1.73,P=0.003) and cancer specific survival (HR=1.52, 95%CI 1.18 to 1.96,P=0.001) in ENE(+) group were lower than ENE(–) group. For esophageal cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer patients, the overall survival (OS) (HR=1.84, 95%CI 1.49 to 2.27,P<0.000 01), disease free survival (DFS) (HR=2.18, 95%CI 1.70 to 2.81,P<0.000 01) and cancer specific survival (HR=1.73, 95%CI 1.19 to 2.52,P=0.004) in ENE(+) group were lower than ENE(–) group. Conclusion Current evidence indicates that ENE(+) was correlated with a poor prognosis in gastric cancer, esophageal cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer patients. Due to the quantity and quality limitations of included studies, more high quality cohort studies are needed to verify the above conclusions.
Surgery is an important method in the treatment of esophageal cancer. With the application of robotic surgery system, more and more surgeons have observed its huge advantages over the conventional minimally invasive surgical system in the esophageal surgery. To ensure the safety and fluency of the robotic surgery, it needs not only an experienced attending surgeon but also a well-trained assistant. This study summaries the skills of the surgical assistant in the robotic esophagectomy.
Objective To investigate the application of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in da Vinci robotic McKeown surgery for esophageal cancer. Methods Clinical data of patients admitted to the First Hospital of Lanzhou University and undergoing da Vinci robotic McKeown surgery for esophageal cancer from 2017 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the treatment, they were divided into two groups, a conventional group and an ERAS group. Patients in the conventional group were treated with the conventional perioperative treatment mode of thoracic surgery, and patients in the ERAS group were treated with accelerated rehabilitation surgical treatment mode. Relevant hospitalization indicators and postoperative complication rates were compared between the two groups. Results Finally 128 patients were collected, including 106 males and 22 females, with an average age of 61.91 years. There were 71 patients in the conventional group and 57 patients in the ERAS group. The postoperative pain index in the ERAS group was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (P<0.05), and the duration of postoperative analgesic pump used in the ERAS group was shorter than that in the conventional group (2.39±0.49 d vs. 3.13±0.63 d, P<0.001). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of postoperative related complications (gastroesophageal reflux, anastomotic stenosis, anastomotic fistula, arrhythmia, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, chylothorax, anastomosis stomatitis or incisional infection) between the two groups (P>0.05), but the incidence of postoperative lung infection in the ERAS group was statistically lower (12.28% vs. 26.76%, P=0.043), and the volume of postoperative pleural effusion was statistically less compared with the conventional group (P<0.05). In the ERAS group, the surgery time (294.35±15.19 min vs. 322.79±59.09 min, P<0.001), postoperative exhaust time (1.44±0.39 d vs. 1.94±0.43 d, P<0.001), postoperative removal time of nasolasal tube (6.79±0.73 d vs. 8.21±0.86 d, P<0.001), hospital stay (19.88±3.36 d vs. 21.34±3.59 d, P=0.020), hospitalization costs (105 575.28±8 960.75 yuan vs. 137 894.64±19 518.60 yuan, P<0.001) were all lower or shorter than those of the conventional group. Postoperative activity was longer in the ERAS group than that in the conventional group (P<0.05), but there was no statistical difference in preoperative anesthesia time between the two groups (P=0.841). Conclusion The application of ERAS in da Vinci robotic McKeown surgery for esophageal cancer can effectively alleviate the physiological and psychological burden of patients, reduce the occurrence of postoperative related complications, effectively shorten the total hospital stay, save hospitalization costs, and reduce the economic burden of patients and society. Therefore, it can be promoted and applied in the clinic.