ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of lymphadenectomy in different regions for esophageal squamous cell carcinomas located differently according to the lymph node grouping by Chinese expert consensus. MethodsThe medical records of 1 061 patients (886 males and 175 females with a median age of 60 (54, 65) years with esophageal cancer from March 2011 to December 2017 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. According to the pathological report, the lymph nodes were regrouped according to the Chinese lymph nodes grouping standard of esophageal cancer. The metastasis rate of each group of lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate of metastatic patients and efficacy index (EI) were calculated. ResultsThe upper thoracic esophageal cancer mainly metastasized to the lymph nodes of C201-203 groups. The middle and lower thoracic tumors mainly metastasized to the lymph nodes of C205-207 groups. The lower thoracic tumor had a higher rate of metastasis to the abdominal lymph nodes. According to the metastasis rate, the mediastinal lymph nodes were divided into three regions: an upper mediastinum (C201-204), a middle mediastinum (C205-206), and a lower mediastinum (C207-209). The EIs of lymph nodes of C201-203 and C205-207 groups were higher. For patients with C201-207 groups metastasis, the 5-year survival rates ranged from 13.39% to 21.60%. For patients with positive lymph nodes in each region, tumors at different primary locations had no statistical difference in long-term survival (P>0.05). Patients with lymph nodes of C205 group in the upper thoracic tumors had lower EI and those in the middle and lower thoracic tumors had higher EIs. ConclusionThe effect of lymph node dissection in each area varies with the location of the tumor. No matter where the tumor is, it is necessary to dissect the upper mediastinal lymph nodes, especially the lymph nodes adjacent to the left and right recurrent laryngeal nerves. Group C205 should be classified into the lower mediastinal lymph nodes.
ObjectiveTo investigate the predictive value of recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes (RLN) status for supraclavicular lymph node (SLN) metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 83 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent McKeown three-field lymphadenectomy from January 2017 to April 2018 in our hospital, including 53 males and 30 females with an average age of 64.07±7.05 years.ResultsThe SLN metastasis rate of the patients was 24.1%. The rate in the thoracic and abdominal metastases positive (N1-3) group and negative (N0) group was 37.8% and 13.0%, respectively, with a statistical difference (P<0.05). The rate of SLN metastasis was significantly different between the RLN metastasis positive (RLN+) and negative (RLN–) groups (39.1% vs. 18.3%, P<0.05). One side of RLN metastasis could lead to SLN metastasis on the opposite side. No correlation between the SLN metastasis and age, gender, location, differentiation degree, maximum tumor diameter, T-staging or histologic type was observed (P>0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis in chest or abdomen was an independent predictor of SLN metastasis.ConclusionRLN+ is not the independent predictor for SLN metastasis. SLN should be dissected in N1-3 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma without considering tumor location and T-staging. Bilateral SLN dissection should be recommended even if RLN metastasis is only unilateral.
Esophageal cancer is one of the common malignant tumors with high incidence and poor prognosis. Angiogenesis-related pathways play an important role in the occurrence and development of esophageal cancer. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the main mediator of angiogenesis. In addition to promoting angiogenesis and maintaining the survival of neovascularization, VEGF can also directly act on esophageal cancer cells and promote the occurrence and development of tumors. This article reviews the biology of VEGF and its effect on blood vessels, the expression of VEGF in esophageal cancer cells and its influencing factors, the role of VEGF in esophageal cancer cells, the immunomodulatory activity of VEGF and the clinical study of VEGF inhibitors. The purpose of this study is to provide a basis for more rational use of VEGF inhibitors in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
ObjectiveTo compare the impact of early enteral nutrition (EN) and parenteral nutrition (PN) on the postoperative efficacy of esophageal cancer through meta-analysis of relevant randomized controlled trial (RCT).MethodsPubMed, Medline, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc (CBMdisc) were searched by computer from inception to April 2018 to identify potential RCT which assessed clinical efficacy between EN and PN for postoperative patients with esophageal cancer. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two researchers independently screened and evaluated literature. Meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 30 RCT studies were selected, including 3 969 patients. Meta-analysis results showed that: there was a significant difference between EN and PN in postoperative anastomotic fistulas (I2=0%, OR=0.67, 95%CI 0.45-0.99, P=0.04), postoperative pulmonary infections (I2=0%, OR=0.42, 95%CI 0.32-0.55, P<0.000 1), postoperative albumin levels (I2=38%, MD=0.78, 95%CI 0.51-1.06, P<0.000 01),time of first anal exhaust after operation (I2=0%, MD=–23.16, 95%CI –25.16-21.16, P<0.000 01) and postoperative incision infection (I2=0%, RR=0.36, 95%CI 0.21-0.64, P=0.000 5).ConclusionCompared with PN, early EN can significantly reduce the incidence of major postoperative complications and shorten the time of first anal exhaust after surgery. In addition, EN is superior to PN in improving nutritional status, increasing weight and reducing costs and side effects.
China is a country with a high incidence of esophageal cancer. Most patients are already in the locally advanced stage when first diagnosed. Preoperative neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery has become the standard treatment mode for them. Closely related to prognosis, the evaluation of tumor response is essential. Response evaluation criteria in solid tumors is the gold standard to evaluate tumor response, but the lesions must meet the measurement standards. Tumor regression grading (TRG) systems are designed to classify regressive changes after neoadjuvant treatment based on histopathological results to reveal prognostic information. Concentrating on pathologic assessment of esophageal cancer following neoadjuvant therapy, this article reviews histopathological changes, commonly used TRG systems and current debate.
ObjectiveTo explore the correlation of pretreatment systemic immune inflammation index (SII) with prognosis in esophageal cancer patients.MethodsWe searched the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, Chinese Biology Medicine, and Wanfang databases to identify eligible studies evaluating the relation between pretreatment SII and prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer from establishment of databases to December 2018. SII was defined as the absolute neutrophil count multiplied by the absolute platelet count divided by the absolute lymphocyte count. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints were cancer-specific survival and disease-free survival. The Stata 12.0 software was applied for the meta-analysis, and the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were assessed.ResultsA total of six retrospective studies involving 2 376 esophageal cancer patients were included and all patients were from China or Japan. The results revealed that elevated pretreatment SII was significantly associated with poor OS in esophageal cancer [HR=1.50, 95%CI (1.15, 1.95), P=0.002]. Subgroup analyses of OS indicated that SII had a high prognostic value in patients who received surgery [HR=1.54, 95%CI (1.14, 2.08), P=0.005] and were diagnosed as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [HR=1.50, 95%CI (1.11, 2.02), P=0.007]; however, no significant relation was observed between SII and prognosis in esophageal cancer patients who were treated with radiotherapy [HR=1.318, 95%CI (0.611, 2.841), P=0.482]. Furthermore, compared with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio, SII showed a higher predictive value for the prognosis of esophageal cancer.ConclusionsPretreatment SII may serve as an independent risk factor for prognosis of Chinese and Japanese esophageal cancer patients, especially patients who were treated with surgery and with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, more prospective studies with big samples from other countries or regions are still needed to verify our findings.
Neoadjuvant therapy has become the standard treatment for locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer, significantly improving long-term survival compared to surgery alone. Neoadjuvant therapy has evolved to include various strategies, such as concurrent chemoradiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted combination therapy. This enriches clinical treatment options and provides a more personalized and scientific treatment approach for patients. This article aims to comprehensively summarize current academic research hot topics, review the rationale and evaluation measures of neoadjuvant therapy, discuss challenges in restaging methods after neoadjuvant therapy, and identify the advantages and disadvantages of various neoadjuvant therapeutic strategies.
Surgery following neoadjuvant therapy has become the standard treatment for middle- and late-stage resectable esophageal cancer. However, treatment modalities such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery cause physical and psychological harm to patients, reducing their quality of life. Prehabilitation, as an emerging preoperative management strategy, integrates various measures, including exercise training, nutritional support, and psychological support. Its aim is to enhance patients’ physiological and psychological reserves prior to surgery, bolster their tolerance to surgical stress, and thus accelerate the postoperative recovery process. This approach is a key manifestation of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) concept. This article reviews prehabilitation during neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer patients from 3 aspects: intervention timing, intervention content, and barriers, with the aim of providing a reference for promoting early recovery in patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery.
A 71-year-old male presented with esophageal cancer and severe aortic valve regurgitation. Treatment strategies for such patients are controversial. Considering the risks of cardiopulmonary bypass and potential esophageal cancer metastasis, we successfully performed transcatheter aortic valve implantation and minimally invasive three-incision thoracolaparoscopy combined with radical resection of esophageal cancer (McKeown) simultaneously in the elderly patient who did not require neoadjuvant treatment. This dual minimally invasive procedure took 6 hours and the patient recovered smoothly without any surgical complications.
ObjectiveTo explore the relation of preoperative red blood cell distribution width (RDW) with prognosis in esophageal cancer.MethodsThe PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, VIP, Wanfang, CNKI and SinoMed databases were searched to identify potential studies assessing the correlation between preoperative RDW and prognosis of esophageal cancer patients from establishment of databases to February 2019. The endpoint events included the overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The Stata 12.0 software was applied for the meta-analysis and the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.ResultsA total of 10 retrospective studies involving 4 260 esophageal cancer patients from China or Japan were included. The score of Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) of the included studies was more than 6 points. The results demonstrated that elevated preoperative RDW was significantly associated with poor CSS (HR=1.50, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.99, P=0.004) and DFS (HR=1.45, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.85, P=0.002), while no significant association between preoperative RDW and OS in esophageal cancer was observed (HR=1.17, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.45, P=0.143). Subgroup analysis based on the pathology revealed that preoperative RDW had high prognostic value in esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) (HR=1.37, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.77, P=0.018).ConclusionPreoperative RDW may be an independent prognostic factor for Chinese and Japanese esophageal cancer patients, especially for ESCC patients. However, more prospective studies with bigger sample sizes from other countries are still needed to verify our findings.