Since Dobromysslow described the first esophageal resection with successful anastomotic reconstruction in 1901, the outcomes of esophagectomy have significantly improved and this surgery is now the mainstay of treatment for esophageal cancer. Data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)…
The American Cancer Society estimates that 16,940 new cases of esophageal cancer will be diagnosed in 2016, and in the same year there will be 15,690 deaths from esophageal cancer. Unfortunately, more than half of patients present with advanced disease…
Milestones in Surgery for Esophageal Carcinoma 1877—V. Czerny: first successful resection of the cervical esophagus for carcinoma 1913—F. Torek: first successful transthoracic resection of the esophagus 1913—W. Denk: cadaver and experimental animal studies on the transhiatal resection of the esophagus…
The extent of lymphadenectomy as part of an esophagectomy for cancer remains a controversial issue. The aggressive nature of the disease often means that both local nodal and distant metastases exist at the time of presentation. As such, locally advanced…
The use of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) has increased over the past several years. The term minimally invasive can refer to performing either or both the thoracic and abdominal phases of the operation with either laparoscopic or robotic assistance. Transhiatal…
To date, no therapy has been proven superior to esophagectomy for the cure of patients with early-stage esophageal cancer. The primary goal of surgery is complete (R0) resection of the tumor to maximize the opportunity for cure and minimize the…
The first reports of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) were published in the early 1990s by Cuschieri et al., who described a thoracoscopic esophageal mobilization in 1992, and DePaula et al., who reported an MIE with a laparoscopic transhiatal approach in 1995. The…
Surgical Therapy Surgical resection remains the cornerstone of therapy for patients with resectable cancer of the esophagus in the absence of systemic metastases. Surgery, most of the time combined with neoadjuvant therapy in current practice, offers the highest likelihood of…
Esophageal cancer (EC) remains a devastating malignancy with a low rate of cure. Results in patients with early-stage disease (stage I to II) remain more promising, with long-term survival rates between 60% and 90%. Unfortunately the majority of patients present…
The detection and treatment of high-grade dysplasia and early esophageal cancer overlap to the point that they are a continuum. In some situations they can be difficult to separate and exist simultaneously. Because existing studies often combine the descriptions of…