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.
Objective To introduce a simple preoperative risk score for esophageal cancer (PRSEC) and its relationship with the prognosis of patients who underwent resection of esophageal carcinoma. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 498 patients receiving resection of esophageal carcinoma between 2005 and 2015 in our hospital. They were divided into three groups (PRSEC1, PRSEC2 and PRSEC3 groups) according to the results of PRSEC (revised cardiac risk index, model for end-stage liver disease score and pulmonary function test). Their overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were measured to find the relationship between the PRSEC and prognosis of patients. Results The mortality, morbidity, DFS and OS were correlative with the PRSEC. Therefore the PRSEC can be used to predict the short-term outcome. The patients with score 2 or 3 had higher risk of mortality and morbidity than those with score 1. In addition, the DFS and OS of patients with higher score were shorter (P<0.001). Conclusion The PRSEC is easy and efficient and can predict the morbidity, mortality, and long-term outcomes for the patients with resection of esophageal carcinoma.
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.
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.
Endoscopic resection and surgical resection are the two major therapeutic methods for early esophageal cancer. Endoscopic resection is safe and minimally invasive, but lymph node dissection can not be performed. Although surgery provides a rather thorough resection of the lesions and affected lymph nodes, surgical trauma brings certain negative impact on patients' long-term life quality. A comprehensive assessment of the patient's general condition, the risk of diseased lymph node metastasis, and the risk of the treatment itself is an important measure to optimize treatment decisions and formulate personalized treatment plans.
Esophageal cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system, with the characteristics of high incidence and poor prognosis. Traditional treatment methods cannot bring long-term prognosis to patients, and postoperative recurrence and metastasis are also the main causes of treatment failure. With the continuous development of nanomedicine, nanoparticle drug delivery, as a new treatment method, has received extensive attention. The Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles due to its unique superparamagnetism and biocompatibility in the treatment of esophageal cancer research in a series of exciting progress has been made. In this paper, the Fe3O4 magnetic nanodrug delivery system for the treatment of esophageal cancer is reviewed.
Esophageal cancer is one of the malignant tumors that poses a threat to human health, with both high incidence and malignancy. Currently, surgery following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer; however, the long-term prognosis remains unsatisfactory. In recent years, inhibitors of programmed death protein-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (programmed death ligand-1, PD-L1) have achieved breakthrough progress in other solid tumors, and research on esophageal cancer is gradually being conducted. With the demonstration of good efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the first-line and second-line treatment of advanced unresectable esophageal cancer, their incorporation into neoadjuvant treatment regimens has become a hot topic. Therefore, this article reviews the mechanism of action of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and their application in the neoadjuvant treatment of esophageal cancer.
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.
ObjectiveTo explore the possible factors which influence the survival time of elderly patients with esophageal cancer.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with esophageal cancer treated in the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Gansu Province Tumor Hospital from January 2012 to October 2016. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate and analyze the single factor, survival curve with log-rank test. The Cox regression model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis．ResultsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 302 patients were eventually collected, including 231 males and 71 females, with an average age of 66.0±6.0 years. The univariate analysis showed that age, tumor stage, tumor site, Karnosfsky performance satus (KPS) score, and treatment were prognostic factors (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the patient age and treatment were independent factors for overall survival (OS) and progress-free survival (PFS) (P<0.05). The OS and PFS of the patients with age≤70 years were better than those of the patients more than 70 years. Chemotherapy alone and surgery alone was better for survival situation than radiotherapy alone.ConclusionAge and treatment are independent prognostic factors in survival time of the elderly patients with esophageal cancer.