ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect on complication after esophagectomy by comparing the different methods of anastomosis (cervical versus thoracic anastomosis). MethodsWe searched the following databases including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang database to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cervical versus thoracic anastomosis for esophagectomy patients from establishment of each database to October 30, 2014. Quality of the included RCT was evaluated. Meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan 5.2 software. ResultsWe finally identified 4 RCTs involving 267 patients. In terms of the postoperative complication, the incidence of anastomotic leakage (RR=3.83, 95%CI 1.70 to 8.63, P=0.001) with cervical anastomosis was significantly higher than that of the patients with thoracic anastomosis. However, there was no statistical difference in incidence of anastomotic stricture (RR=1.04, 95%CI 0.62 to 1.76, P=0.87), pulmonary complication (RR=0.73, 95%CI 0.27 to 1.91, P=0.52), and mortality (RR=0.89, 95%CI 0.40 to 1.97, P=0.77) between cervical and thoracic anastomosis. ConclusionCompared with thoracic anastomosis, the method of cervical anastomosis is associated with a higher incidence of anastomotic leakage. But there are many unclear factors about anastomotic stricture, pulmonary complication and mortality, further measurement should be taken.
Objective To evaluate the effect of perioperative fluid management on postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) of esophagectomy, and to find out the optimal scheme for perioperative fluid administration. Methods This retrospective cohort study enrolled 75 patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer who have received esophagectomy in West China Hospital from June to December 2014. We used the Kroenke's postoperative pulmonary complications classification system to define the PPCs. Patients with PPCs of grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ were considered as PPCs group (n=13, 12 males, 1 female, age of 64.62±8.64 years), and others were considered as non-complication group (n=62, 50 males, 12 females, age of 60.55±8.73 years). Intraoperative and postoperative fluid inputs and outputs as well as clinical characteristics between groups were compared. Results Between two groups, there was a great difference in postoperative albumin infusion, intraoperative fluid administration [net input, total input, net input/kg, total input/kg, net input/(kg·h) and total input/(kg·h)] and fluid input on the first postoerative 1–3 days (total input and total input/kg). The cutoff value for total input/(kg·h) in operation and total input on the first 1–3 postoerative days was 12.07 ml/(kg·h) and 178.57 ml/kg, respectively. Conclusion The speed of fluid infusion in operation and total input on postoperative 1-3 days are most important influence factors of PPCs. The speed in operation should not exceed 12.07 ml/(kg·h) and the total input on postoperative 1-3 days should not exceed 178.57 ml/kg. Within this range, an appropriate increase in fluid volume can make patients feel better.
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.
Objective To compare the short-term efficacy of Ivor-Lewis via hand-sewn purse-string approach and purse-string forceps approach in minimally invasive esophagectomy for middle and lower esophageal cancer, and to discuss the safety and feasibility of hand-sewn purse-string anastomosis technique for minimally invasive Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy (MIILE). Methods The clinical data of 151 patients undergoing thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophageal cancer surgery from January 2014 to January 2017 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different methods of purse string making, the patients were divided into a purse-string forceps group including 49 males and 16 females with a mean age of 67.98±7.07 years ranging from 51 to 80 years treated with forceps to make purse-string and a handcraft group including 61 males and 25 females with a mean age of 67.76±8.18 years ranging from 52 to 83 years using hand-sewn way. The perioperative data of two two groups were compared. Results The purse-string making time and postoperative total volume of chest drainage were less in the handcraft group than those in the purse-string forceps group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in hemorrhage during operation, the operation duration or postoperative hospital stay (P>0.05). There was also no statistical difference between the two groups in the rate of anastomotic or gastric tube fistula, anastomotic stenosis, pulmonary infection or incision infection (P>0.05). Conclusion In minimally invasive esophagectomy for middle-lower section, MIILE by hand-sewn purse-string is as safe as purse-string forceps, with no more complications, needing no professional equipments, and easy to learn, master and promote.
ObjectiveTo investigate the prognostic value and consistency of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) in perioperative nutritional status of patients with esophageal cancer.MethodsClinical data of 224 patients, including 186 males and 38 females with an average age of 63.08±8.42 years, who underwent esophageal cancer surgery in our hospital from November 2017 to August 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The PNI was calculated according to the results of the first time blood and biochemical tests, and the PG-SGA assessment was also performed. According to the PNI value, the patients were divided into a good nutrition group (PNI≥45, 60 patients) and a malnutrition group (PNI<45, 164 patients). According to the PG-SGA score, the patients were divided into a good nutrition group (PG-SGA<4, 75 patients) and a malnutrition group (PG-SGA≥4, 149 patients). Nutrition-related haematological indexes and body mass index (BMI) were compared between the two groups, and the consistency of PNI and PG-SGA for nutritional assessment was analyzed.ResultsThe nutrition-related haematological indexes in different PNI groups were statistically different in the perioperative period (P<0.01). The longitudinal changes of prealbumin in patients of different PG-SGA groups were statistically different (P<0.05); the BMI of patients in different PG-SGA groups was statistically different in the perioperative period (P<0.01). The Kappa coefficient of the two indicators was 0.589 (P<0.001).ConclusionBoth PNI and PG-SGA can predict the nutritional risk of patients with esophageal cancer to some extent. PNI is an objective monitoring indicator, and PG-SGA is a subjective evaluation indicator, the combined use of which can more comprehensively reflect and predict the nutritional status of patients, and provide an important reference to the development of individualized nutrition support programs.
Mini-invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been employed in diagnosis and treatment of esophageal diseases for about 10 years. The potential advantages of VATS over thoracotomy are reduction of chest pain just after the operation and in the long run, lower incidence of postoperative respiratory complications, and reduction of aesthetic sequelae. Thoracoscopic staging of esophageal cancer is to evaluate the invasion and metastasis of cancer, which is helpful for better selection of patients for appropriate treatment .Operation of esophageal cancer with VATS is prescribed mainly in the early stage of carcinoma, but it’s application is restricted due to the multiple sites of operation and complexity of procedures. VATS for benign esophageal diseases such as esophageal leiomyoma and achalasia is becoming the preferable choice of operation in qualified medical centers.
Objective To investigate the effects of one-lung ventilation time on the concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), serum inflammatory markers and early pulmonary infection after radical resection of esophageal cancer. Methods Ninety patients with thoracoscope and laparoscopic radical resection of esophageal carcinoma were chosen. According to the thoracoscope operation time, the patients were divided into 3 groups including a T1 (0.5–1.5 hours) group, a T2 (1.5–2.5 hours) group and a T3 (>2.5 hours) group. Immediately after the operation, the ventilated and collapsed BALF were taken. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to determine the concentration of IL-6 and tumour necrosis TNF-α. The concentrations of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cell (WBC) were measured on the first, third, fifth day after operation. The incidence of pulmonary infection was observed within 3 days after operation. Result The IL-6 values of the right collapsed lung in all groups were higher than those in the left ventilated lung. The TNF-α value of the right collapsed lung in the T2 group and T3 group was higher than that in the left ventilated lung (P<0.05). Compared with in the right collapsed lung, the TNF-α and IL-6 values gradually increased with the the duration of one-lung ventilation (P<0.05). Compared with the left ventilated lung groups, the IL-6 value increased gradually with the duration of one-lung ventilation time (P<0.05). The TNF-α value of the T3 group was higher than that of the T1 and T2 groups (P<0.05). The PCT value of the T3 group was higher than that of the T1 group and T2 group on the third, fifth day after operation (P<0.05). But there was no significant difference in CRP and WBC among the three groups at different time points. The incidence of pulmonary infection in the T3 group was significantly higher than that in the T1 group within 3 days after operation (P<0.05). Conclusion With the extension of one-lung ventilation time, the release of local and systemic inflammatory mediators is increased, and the probability of pulmonary infection is higher.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is the eighth dangerous cancer in the world. As the global population ages, the management of elderly patients with EC poses a challenge as they have many aging-associated diseases and physiological changes. In addition, the data on the tolerability of cancer treatment and the use of combined therapies in the patients to guide their treatment are limited. In this paper, we reviewed the literatures and discussed the effect of surgical resection and the potential complications of elderly patients. We reviewed the basic principles of combined therapy and the potential benefits of chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for patients and focused on the management of elderly patients with EC as well as the role of comprehensive assessment for aging to provide treatment options for elderly patients.
ObjectiveTo investigate the value of esophageal activity examination under X-ray fluoroscopy and chest CT in evaluating the resectability of upper thoracic esophageal cancer.MethodsA total of 221 upper thoracic esophageal carcinoma patients underwent radical operation between 2009 and 2015 in our hospital were enrolled, including 141 males and 80 females with a median age of 59 (47-79) years. Preoperative routine esophageal activity examination under X-ray fluoroscopy and chest enhanced CT were performed to determine whether the tumor had external invasion. The results of the two methods were compared with that observed during the operation.ResultsThe number of patients with esophageal activity score 1-6 was 70, 85, 32, 29, 2 and 3, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of esophageal activity examination was 0.897 (95%CI 0.85-0.93, P<0.001), and the cut off value was >3. According to the ROC curve activity score, 4-6 points were considered as invasion, and 1-3 points were non-invasion. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and misdiagnosis rate of esophageal activity examination was 75.0%, 89.3%, 88.2%, 10.7%, respectively, and those of CT scan were 75.0%, 66.8%, 67.4%, 33.2%, respectively. Compared with CT scan, the specificity of esophageal activity examination was higher and the misdiagnosis rate was lower. Compared with the detection during the operation, 86.7% of patients with actual invasion of trachea and 85.7% of patients with actual invasion of other parts were in accordance with the esophageal activity examination results.ConclusionEsophageal activity examination under X-ray fluoroscopy can accurately predict the resectability of upper thoracic esophageal cancer, which is a useful supplement to chest CT examination, especially in the aspect of judging the relationship between lesions and the trachea.
Conduit failure and conduit airway fistula are rare complications after esophagectomy, however they can be catastrophic resulting in high mortality. Survivors can expect a prolonged hospital course with multiple interventions and an extended period of time prior to being able to resume oral nutrition. High index of suspicion can aid in early diagnosis. Conduit failure usually requires a period of proximal esophageal diversion and staged reconstruction. Conduit airway fistulas may be amenable to endoscopic repair but this has a high failure rate and many patients will require surgical repair with closure of the fistula and interposition of vascularized tissue to minimize recurrence.