Therapeutic effect of Wendan Decoction combined with mosapride on gastroesophageal reflux disease after esophageal cancer surgery

BACKGROUND Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)is a common complication of esophageal cancer surgery that can affect quality of life and increase the risk of esophageal stricture and anastomotic leakage.Wendan Decoction(WDD)is a traditional Chinese herbal formula used to treat various gastrointestinal disorders,such as gastritis,functional dyspepsia,and irritable bowel syndrome.Mosapride,a prokinetic agent,functions as a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine 4 agonist,enhancing gastrointestinal motility.AIM To evaluate the therapeutic effects of WDD combined with mosapride on GERD after esophageal cancer surgery.METHODS Eighty patients with GERD were randomly divided into treatment(receiving WDD combined with mosapride)and control(receiving mosapride alone)groups.The treatment was conducted from January 2021 to January 2023.The primary outcome was improved GERD symptoms as measured using the reflux disease questionnaire(RDQ).The secondary outcomes were improved esophageal motility(measured using esophageal manometry),gastric emptying(measured using gastric scintigraphy),and quality of life[measured via the Short Form-36(SF-36)Health Survey].RESULTS The treatment group showed a notably reduced RDQ score and improved esophageal motility parameters,such as lower esophageal sphincter pressure,peristaltic amplitude,and peristaltic velocity compared to the control group.The treatment group showed significantly higher gastric emptying rates and SF-36 scores(in both physical and mental domains)compared to the control group.No serious adverse effects were observed in either group.CONCLUSION WDD combined with mosapride is an effective and safe therapy for GERD after esophageal cancer surgery.It can improve GERD symptoms,esophageal motility,gastric emptying,and the quality of life of patients.Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are required to confirm these findings.

Impact of the Rapid Recovery Concept on Complications and Patient Quality of Life in the Perioperative Nursing of Robot-Assisted Radical Oesophageal Cancer

Aim: This study evaluates the impact of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) nursing on postoperative complications and quality of life in patients undergoing robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE). Methods: A total of 150 patients who underwent RAMIE from January 2020 to January 2022 at our hospital were randomly assigned to either the observation group or the control group, with 75 patients in each. The control group received standard perioperative management and nursing care, while the observation group was treated with ERAS nursing strategies. Interventions continued until discharge, and outcomes such as postoperative complications, quality of life, and nutritional status were compared between the groups. Results: The observation group exhibited a significantly lower incidence of postoperative adverse reactions compared to the control group (P ionally, all dimension scores of the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), including the total score, were higher in the observation group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS) scores for impaired nutritional status and disease severity, along with the total NRS score, were significantly lower in the observation group compared to the control group (P Conclusion: Implementing ERAS nursing in the perioperative care of patients undergoing RAMIE is associated with reduced postoperative complications and enhanced postoperative quality of life and nutritional status. .

EPIDEMIC STRENGTH OF CARDIA AND DISTANT STOMACH CANCER IN THE HIGH RISK REGION OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AND THEIR IMPLICATION TO EDOSCOPIC SCREENING

Objective： To discuss the epidemic strength of cardia and distant stomach cancers in the high risk region of esophageal cancer along the south Taihang mountain such as in Shexian, Linxian, and Cixian Counties, and to clarify the tasks for the control of upper gastrointestinal tract cancer as a whole in the region. Methods： Comparisons of incidence and mortality rates of esophageal, cardia and stomach cancers were made between Cixian, Linxian and Shexian Counties with reference to detection rates of cancer in situ and precancerous lesions of the three upper gastrointestinal cancers by endoscopic screening. The screening was performed from 1999 through 2004 in the three adjacent counties including a total of 6233 local residents aged 40 to 69 years old. Results： The incidence rates for cardia cancer for the male and female from 2000 through 2004 were 69.9 and 41.5, and the mortality rates were 54.3 and 33.2 respectively in Shexian County. Esophageal, cardia, and stomach cancers constitute about 70～80 percent of all malignant disease by incidence or mortality rates. Endoscopic survey with iodine staining can effectively detect squamous cell precancerous lesions in the esophagus, but the method is inadequate for the detection of adeno precancerous lesions of the cardia and stomach. Conclusion： The south Taihang mountain region is a high risk area not only for esophagus cancer, but also for cardia and stomach cancers. To control upper gastrointestinal tract cancers as a whole in the region, special attention should be paid to the control of cardia and stomach cancers. Presently, to find effective screening methods for detecting cardia and stomach precancerous lesions is especially important.

Network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on esophagectomies in esophageal cancer:The superiority of minimally invasive surgery

BACKGROUND Previous meta-analyses,with many limitations,have described the beneficial nature of minimal invasive procedures.AIM To compare all modalities of esophagectomies to each other from the results of randomized controlled trials(RCTs)in a network meta-analysis(NMA).METHODS We conducted a systematic search of the MEDLINE,EMBASE,Reference Citation Analysis(https://www.referencecitationanalysis.com/)and CENTRAL databases to identify RCTs according to the following population,intervention,control,outcome(commonly known as PICO):P:Patients with resectable esophageal cancer;I/C:Transthoracic,transhiatal,minimally invasive(thoracolaparoscopic),hybrid,and robot-assisted esophagectomy;O:Survival,total adverse events,adverse events in subgroups,length of hospital stay,and blood loss.We used the Bayesian approach and the random effects model.We presented the geometry of the network,results with probabilistic statements,estimated intervention effects and their 95% confidence interval(CI),and the surface under the cumulative ranking curve to rank the interventions.RESULTS We included 11 studies in our analysis.We found a significant difference in postoperative pulmonary infection,which favored the minimally invasive intervention compared to transthoracic surgery(risk ratio 0.49;95%CI:0.23 to 0.99).The operation time was significantly shorter for the transhiatal approach compared to transthoracic surgery(mean difference-85 min;95%CI:-150 to-29),hybrid intervention(mean difference-98 min;95%CI:-190 to-9.4),minimally invasive technique(mean difference-130 min;95%CI:-210 to-50),and robot-assisted esophagectomy(mean difference-150 min;95%CI:-240 to-53).Other comparisons did not yield significant differences.CONCLUSION Based on our results,the implication of minimally invasive esophagectomy should be favored.

Applications and prospects of robotic surgery in esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer(EC)is among the most common malignances and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide.Surgery plays a significant role in the multidisciplinary treatment for esophageal cancer.Recent advances in minimally invasive esophagectomy(MIE),including conventional thoracoscopic surgery and more recent robotic surgery,has been shown to improve short-term outcomes compared to open surgery.Robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy(RAMIE)was first performed in 2003 and has been increasingly utilized in tertiary medical centers.Compared to conventional video-assisted minimally esophagectomy(VAMIE),RAMIE provides certain advantages such as increased magnification,three-dimensional visual clarity and better lymphadenectomy,with superior short-term outcome and at least equivalent oncological results.This review focuses on the techniques,benefits and obstacles in applications of robotic esophagectomy for treating EC,meanwhile discussing the future of robotic esophageal surgery.

Magnetic anchor technique assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection for early esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND Esophageal cancer has high incidence globally and is often diagnosed at an advanced stage.With the widespread application of endoscopic technologies,the need for early detection and diagnosis of esophageal cancer has gradually been realized.Endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)has become the standard of care for managing early tumors of the esophagus,stomach,and colon.However,due to the steep learning curve,difficult operation,and technically demanding nature of the procedure,ESD has currently been committed to the development of various assistive technologies.AIM To explore the feasibility and applicability of magnetic anchor technique(MAT)-assisted ESD for early esophageal cancer.METHODS Isolated pig esophagi were used as the experimental model,and the magnetic anchor device was designed by us.The esophagi used were divided into two groups,namely the operational and control groups,and 10 endoscopists completed the procedure.The two groups were evaluated for the following aspects:The total operative time,perforation rate,rate of whole mucosal resection,diameter of the peering mucosa,and scores of endoscopists’feelings with the procedure,including the convenience,mucosal surface exposure degree,and tissue tension.In addition,in the operational group,the soft tissue clip and the target magnet(TM)were connected by a thin wire through a small hole at the tail end of the TM.Under gastroscopic guidance,the soft tissue clip was clamped to the edge of the lesioned mucosa,which was marked in advance.By changing the position of the anchor magnet(AM)outside the esophagus,the pulling force and pulling direction of the TM could be changed,thus exposing the mucosal peeling surface and assisting the ESD.RESULTS Herein,each of the two groups comprised 10 isolated esophageal putative mucosal lesions.The diameter of the peering mucosa did not significantly differ between the two groups(2.13±0.06 vs 2.15±0.06,P=0.882).The total operative time was shorter in the operational group than in the control group(17.04±0.22 min vs 21.94±0.23 min,P<0.001).During the entire experiment,the TM remained firmly connected with the soft tissue clip and did not affect the opening,closing,and release of the soft tissue clip.The interaction between the TM and AM could provide sufficient tissue tension and completely expose the mucosa,which greatly assists the surgeon with the operation.There was no avulsion of the mucosa,and mucosal lesions were intact when peeled.Therefore,the scores of endoscopists’feelings were higher in the operational group than in the control group in terms of the convenience(9.22±0.19 vs 8.34±0.15,P=0.002),mucosal surface exposure degree(9.11±0.15 vs 8.25±0.12,P<0.001),and tissue tension(9.35±0.13 vs 8.02±0.17,P<0.001).The two groups did not significantly differ in the perforation rate and rate of whole mucosal resection.CONCLUSION We found MAT-assisted ESD safe and feasible for early esophageal cancer.It could greatly improve the endoscopic operation experience and showed good clinical application prospects.

Recurrence risk model for esophageal cancer after radical surgery

Objective：The aim of the present study was to construct a risk assessment model which was tested by disease-free survival （DFS） of esophageal cancer after radical surgery.Methods：A total of 164 consecutive esophageal cancer patients who had undergone radical surgery between January 2005 and December 2006 were retrospectively analyzed.The cutpoint of value at risk （VaR） was inferred by stem-and-leaf plot,as well as by independent-samples t-test for recurrence-free time,further confirmed by crosstab chi-square test,univariate analysis and Cox regression analysis for DFS.Results：The cutpoint of VaR was 0.3 on the basis of our model.The rate of recurrence was 30.3 ％ （30/99）and 52.3％ （34/65） in VaR ＜0.3 and VaR ＞0.3 （chi-square test,x2 =7.984,P=0.005）,respectively.The 1-,3-,and 5-year DFS of esophageal cancer after radical surgery was 70.4％,48.7％,and 45.3％,respectively in VaR ＞≥0.3,whereas 91.5％,75.8％,and 67.3％,respectively in VaR ＜0.3 （Log-rank test,x2 =9.59,P=0.0020）,and further confirmed by Cox regression analysis [hazard ratio =2.10,95 ％ confidence interval （CI）：1.2649-3.4751; P=0.0041].Conclusions：The model could be applied for integrated assessment of recurrence risk after radical surgery for esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer: A Review of epidemiology, pathogenesis, staging workup and treatment modalities

Esophageal cancer is a serious malignancy with regards to mortality and prognosis. It is a growing health concern that is expected to increase in incidence over the next 10 years. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common histological type of esophageal cancer worldwide, with a higher incidence in developing nations. With the increased prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease and obesity in developed nations, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has dramatically increased in the past 40 years. Esophageal cancer is staged according to the widely accepted TNM system. Staging plays an integral part in guiding stage specific treatment protocols and has a great impact on overall survival. Common imaging modalities used in staging include computed tomography, endoscopic ultrasound and positron emission tomography scans. Current treatment options include multimodality therapy mainstaysof current treatment include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Tumor markers of esophageal cancer are an advancing area of research that could potentially lead to earlier diagnosis as well as playing a part in assessing tumor response to therapy.

Updates on esophageal and gastric cancers

食道、胃的癌症普通、致命。病人现在的大多数经常因此在疾病前进和幸存以后是差的。由于在发病率的人口统计的可变性和最近的变化，许多强调被放在为食道、胃的癌症学习风险因素上。与增加这些疾病的理解，然而，低幸存率坚持并且继续的集中的研究是必要的优化治疗计划。这篇评论文章在演变传染病学讨论更改，临床的表示，风险因素，并且诊断并且食道、胃的癌症的治疗形式。

Effects of Total Intravenous Anesthesia and Static Aspiration Combined General Anesthesia on Postoperative Cognitive Function and Psychological State of Elderly Patients with Esophageal Cancer

Objective: To compare the effects of total intravenous anesthesia and static aspiration combined general anesthesia on postoperative cognitive function and psychological state of elderly esophageal cancer patients. Methods: From July 2020 to April 2021, 180 elderly patients who underwent radical esophageal cancer surgery in our hospital were randomly divided into 90 cases in the control group and 90 in the observation group. The control group used static aspiration compound general anesthesia, and the patients in the observation group used intravenous anesthesia to compare the cognitive function and psychological state of the two groups of patients. Results: There was no statistical difference in the cognitive function score of patients in the observation group 30 minutes before anesthesia, 1 h and 24 hours after anesthesia compared with that in the control group, P > 0.05;there was no statistical difference between the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) scores 30 minutes before and 24 hours after anesthesia in the observation group compared with the control group, P > 0.05;the cognitive function score of patients in the observation group of 4 h after surgery and 12 h after operation was significantly higher than that of the control group;the HAMA scores of patients in the observation group of 1 h, 4 h and 12 h after surgery were significantly lower than that of the control group, P Conclusion: The application of total intravenous anesthesia in elderly patients with esophageal cancer surgery can reduce the impact of anesthesia on their cognitive function and psychological state, which is worth popularizing and applying in clinical practice.

Comparative Analysis of Safety and Effect of Minimally Invasive Esophageal Cancer Radical Resection and Conventional Thoracotomy for Esophageal Cancer

Objective:To compare the clinical effects of minimally invasive esophageal cancer radical resection and traditional esophageal cancer radical resection.Methods:200 cases of esophageal cancer radical resection were performed from July 2014 to July 2017 in our hospital.The cases were divided into experimental group and control group,82 cases in the experimental group and 118 cases in the control group.The experimental group was treated with minimally invasive esophageal cancer radical surgery,and the control group was treated with conventional thoracotomy.Record the comparison between the two groups:(1)surgical conditions,including the time of surgery,intraoperative blood loss,hospitalization time;(2)the number of lymph nodes cleaned;(3)the postoperative control group used conventional thoracotomy,including lung lesions,anastomotic fistula/narrow.Results:The parameters of operation time,intraoperative blood loss,hospitalization time,and number of lymph nodes cleaned in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(p<0.05).In addition to pulmonary infection(p<0.05),there was no significant difference in the incidence of other complications between the experimental group and the control group(p>0.05).Conclusion:Minimally invasive esophageal cancer radical resection and conventional thoracotomy have good clinical effects in the treatment of esophageal cancer.Minimally invasive esophageal cancer radical surgery can effectively reduce intraoperative trauma and postoperative reaction,which is worthy of popularization and application.

Minimal Invasive Surgery for Esophageal Cancer

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy is only established in some centers and a?ords a cervical anasto- mosis because intrathoracic anastomosis as a routine is technically too di?cult. Laparoscopic mobilisation of the stomach (gastrolysis) is an important contribution for minimal invasive surgery of esophageal cancer. This procedure reduces the stress of the two cavity operation for the patient and allows the construction of a comparable gastric conduit like by open surgery. The technique of laparoscopic gastrolysis as prepa- ration for transthoracic en bloc esophagectomy is described in detail and preliminary results are brie?y mentioned.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection and surgical treatment for gastrointestinal cancer

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is widely usedin Japan as a minimally invasive treatment for earlygastric cancer. The application of ESD has expanded tothe esophagus and colorectum. The indication criteriafor endoscopic resection (ER) are established for eachorgan in Japan. Additional treatment, including surgery with lymph node dissection, is recommended when pathological examinations of resected specimens donot meet the criteria. Repeat ER for locally recurrent gastrointestinal tumors may be difficult because of submucosal fibrosis, and surgical resection is required inthese cases. However, ESD enables complete resectionin 82%-100% of locally recurrent tumors. Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) is a well-developed sur-gical procedure for the local excision of rectal tumors.ESD may be superior to TEM alone for superficial rectaltumors. Perforation is a major complication of ESD,and it is traditionally treated using salvage laparotomy.However, immediate endoscopic closure followed byadequate intensive treatment may avoid the need forsurgical treatment for perforations that occur during ESD. A second primary tumor in the remnant stomach after gastrectomy or a tumor in the reconstructedorgan after esophageal resection has traditionally required surgical treatment because of the technical difficulty of ER. However, ESD enables complete resectionin 74%-92% of these lesions. Trials of a combination ofESD and laparoscopic surgery for the resection of gastric submucosal tumors or the performance of sentinellymph node biopsy after ESD have been reported, butthe latter procedure requires a careful evaluation of itsclinical feasibility.

Precision medicine for gastrointestinal cancer:Recent progress and future perspective

Gastrointestinal(GI)cancer has a high tumor incidence and mortality rate worldwide.Despite significant improvements in radiotherapy,chemotherapy,and targeted therapy for GI cancer over the last decade,GI cancer is characterized by high recurrence rates and a dismal prognosis.There is an urgent need for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.Recent technological advances and the accumulation of clinical data are moving toward the use of precision medicine in GI cancer.Here we review the application and status of precision medicine in GI cancer.Analyses of liquid biopsy specimens provide comprehensive real-time data of the tumor-associated changes in an individual GI cancer patient with malignancy.With the introduction of gene panels including next-generation sequencing,it has become possible to identify a variety of mutations and genetic biomarkers in GI cancer.Although the genomic aberration of GI cancer is apparently less actionable compared to other solid tumors,novel informative analyses derived from comprehensive gene profiling may lead to the discovery of precise molecular targeted drugs.These progressions will make it feasible to incorporate clinical,genome-based,and phenotype-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and apply them to individual GI cancer patients for precision medicine.

Association between Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and digestive tract cancers

AIM:To explore the role of Helicobacter pylori(H pylori) infection on the risk of digestive tract cancers. METHODS:In total,199 oral squamous-cell carcinoma(SCC),317 esophageal SCC,196 gastric cardia and non-cardia adenocarcinoma and 240 colon adenocarcinoma patients were recruited for serum tests of H pylori infection.Two hospital-and one community-based control groups were used for the comparisons.H pyloriseropositivity was determined by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay method against H pylori IgG. RESULTS:Presence of H pylori infection was significantly inversely associated with esophageal SCC[adjusted odds ratio(AOR):0.315-0.472,all P-value< 0.05]but positively associated with gastric adenocarcinoma(both cardia and non-cardia)(AOR:1.636-3.060, all P-value<0.05)in comparison to the three control groups.Similar results were not found in cancers of the oral cavity and colon. CONCLUSION:Our findings support the finding that H pylori seropositivity is inversely associated with esophageal SCC risk,but increases the risk of gastric cardia adenocarcinoma.

Feasibility of same-day discharge following endoscopic submucosal dissection for esophageal or gastric early cancer

BACKGROUND Endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)is an established technique for the treatment of early gastrointestinal neoplasia.Generally,multi-day(M-D)admission is required for patients undergoing ESD due to potential complications.AIM To evaluate the feasibility of a same-day(S-D)discharge strategy for ESD of the esophagus or stomach.METHODS The data of patients who underwent esophageal or gastric ESD were retrospectively collected from January 2018 to December 2021 at Peking University Cancer Hospital.The propensity score matching(PSM)method was applied to balance the unevenly distributed patient baseline characteristics between the S-D and M-D groups.Intraoperative and postoperative parameters were compared between the matched groups.RESULTS Among the 479 patients reviewed,470 patients,including 91 in the S-D group and 379 in the M-D group,fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Following PSM,78 patients in each group were paired using the 1:1 nearest available score match algorithm.No significant difference was found between groups with respect to intraoperative and postprocedural major adverse events(AEs).Tumor size,complete resection rate,and procedural duration were comparable between the groups.The S-D group demonstrated a significantly shorter length of hospital stay(P<0.001)and lower overall medical expenses(P<0.001)compared with the M-D group.CONCLUSION The S-D discharge strategy may be feasible and effective for esophagogastric ESD,and the procedural-related AEs can be managed successfully.

Protective effect of methylprednisolone combined with ulinastatin pretreatment on inflammatory lung injury induced by anesthesia for esophageal cancer

Objective:To investigate the protective effect of methylprednisolone combined with ulinastatin pretreatment on inflammatory lung injury induced by single-lung ventilation.Methods: A total of 120 patients with radical resection of cancer surgery admitted to our hospital from January 2016 to December 2017 were randomly divided into control group, methylprednisolone group, ulinastatin group, and methylprednisolone combined with ulinastatin pretreatment group. Before single lung ventilation (T0), 30 min after ventilation (T1), and 60 min (T2) after the end of ventilation, enzyme-linked immunosorbent kit method was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-10. The mean airway pressure (Pmean) at each monitoring point and the oxygenation indexes (PaO2/FiO2) before and after surgery were detected. And also, the extraction time, drainage volume and sputum volume of the drainage tube after surgery were measured.Results:Compared with the control group, the other three groups can reduce the levels of TNF-α and IL-8 in the blood of patients with esophageal cancer, improve IL-10 and increase the oxygenation index (P<0.05). However, methylprednisolone combined with ulinastatin pretreatment group was significantly better than methylprednisolone group and ulinastatin group in reducing serum inflammatory factor levels and increasing oxygenation index. In addition, the drainage tube extraction time, drainage volume and sputum volume of the patients treated with methylprednisolone combined with ulinastatin were also significantly lower than those of the control group, the methylprednisolone group and the ulinastatin group.Conclusions: Methylprednisolone combined with ulinastatin has a synergistic protective effect on inflammatory lung injury caused by radical resection of esophageal cancer patients, which is worthy of first-line clinical recommendation.

Endoscopic and surgical resection of T1a/T1b esophageal neoplasms: A systematic review

AIM: To investigate potential therapeutic recommendations for endoscopic and surgical resection of T1a/ T1b esophageal neoplasms. METHODS: A thorough search of electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, Pubmed and Cochrane Library, from 1997 up to January 2011 was performed. An analysis was carried out, pooling the effects of outcomes of 4241 patients enrolled in 80 retrospective studies. For comparisons across studies, each reporting on only one endoscopic method, we used a random effects meta-regression of the log-odds of the outcome of treatment in each study. "Neural networks" as a data mining technique was employed in order to establish a prediction model of lymph node status in superficial submucosal esophageal carcinoma. Another data mining technique, the "feature selection and root cause analysis", was used to identify the most impor-tant predictors of local recurrence and metachronous cancer development in endoscopically resected patients, and lymph node positivity in squamous carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (ADC) separately in surgically resected patients. RESULTS: Endoscopically resected patients: Low grade dysplasia was observed in 4% of patients, high grade dysplasia in 14.6%, carcinoma in situ in 19%, mucosal cancer in 54%, and submucosal cancer in 16% of patients. There were no significant differences between endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for the following parameters: complications, patients submitted to surgery, positive margins, lymph node positivity, local recurrence and metachronous cancer. With regard to piecemeal resection, ESD performed better since the number of cases was significantly less [coefficient: -7.709438, 95%CI: (-11.03803, -4.380844), P < 0.001]; hence local recurrence rates were significantly lower [coefficient: -4.033528, 95%CI: (-6.151498, -1.915559),P < 0.01]. A higher rate of esophageal stenosis was observed following ESD [coefficient: 7.322266, 95%CI: (3.810146, 10.83439), P < 0.001]. A significantly greater number of SCC patients were submitted to surgery (log-odds, ADC: -2.1206 ± 0.6249 vs SCC: 4.1356 ± 0.4038, P < 0.05). The odds for re-classification of tumor stage after endoscopic resection were 53% and 39% for ADC and SCC, respectively. Local tumor recurrence was best predicted by grade 3 differentiation and piecemeal resection, metachronous cancer development by the carcinoma in situ component, and lymph node positivity by lymphovascular invasion. With regard to surgically resected patients: Significant differences in patients with positive lymph nodes were observed between ADC and SCC [coefficient: 1.889569, 95%CI: (0.3945146, 3.384624), P<0.01). In contrast, lymphovascular and microvascular invasion and grade 3 patients between histologic types were comparable, the respective rank order of the predictors of lymph node positivity was: Grade 3, lymphovascular invasion (L+), microvascular invasion (V+), submucosal (Sm) 3 invasion, Sm2 invasion and Sm1 invasion. Histologic type (ADC/SCC) was not included in the model. The best predictors for SCC lymph node positivity were Sm3 invasion and (V+). For ADC, the most important predictor was (L+). CONCLUSION: Local tumor recurrence is predicted by grade 3, metachronous cancer by the carcinoma insitu component, and lymph node positivity by L+. T1b cancer should be treated with surgical resection.

Adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and cisplatin in lymph node-positive thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective： No standard postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy has ever been established in node-positive esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）. This is a study to explore the effect of postoperative paelitaxel （PTX） and cisplatin （DDP） in lymph node-positive, completely resected thoracic ESCC patients. Methods： We conducted a prospective phase II trial. Patients had pathologically node-positive thoracic ESCC with negative margins. Outcomes of disease-free survival （DFS） and overall survival （OS） were compared with a matched historical control cohort. The postoperative chemotherapy regimen consisted of 4 to 6 cycles of PTX 150 mg/m2 administered intravenously on d 1 followed by DDP 50 mg/m2 on d 2 every 14 d. Results： Forty-three patients were accrued from December 2007 to May 2012 at Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences for adjuvant chemotherapy. The historical control group consisted of 80 patients who received complete resection but no adjuvant chemotherapy during the same period of time. Of the 43 patients with adjuvant chemotherapy, 37 （86.0%） patients completed 4 to 6 cycles of chemotherapy. The 3-year DFS rates were 56.3% in the adjuvant group and 34.6% in the control group （P=0.006）. The 3-year OS rates were 55.0% in the adjuvant group and 37.5% in the control group （P=0.013）. Multivariate analysis revealed that postoperative chemotherapy was the significant predictor for improved OS （P=0.005）. Conclusions： Biweekly adjuvant PTX and DDP might improve 3-year DFS and OS in lymph node-positive, curatively resected thoracic ESCC patients. These conclusions warrant further study in randomized phase III clinical trials.

Lymph node dissection in esophageal carcinoma: Minimally invasive esophagectomy vs open surgery

AIM: To compare lymph node dissection results of minimally invasive esophagectomy(MIE) and open surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data from patients who underwent MIE or open surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from January 2011 to September 2014. Number of lymph nodes resected, positive lymph node(p N+) rate, lymph node sampling(LNS) rate and lymph node metastatic(LNM) rate were evaluated. R E S U LT S : A m o n g 4 4 7 p a t i e n t s i n c l u d e d, 1 2 3 underwent MIE and 324 underwent open surgery. The number of lymph nodes resected did not significantly differ between the MIE and open surgery groups(21.1 ± 4.3 vs 20.4 ± 3.8, respectively, P = 0.0944). The p N+ rate of stage T3 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the open surgery group was higher than that in the MIE group(16.3% vs 11.4%, P = 0.031), but no differences was observed for stages T1 and T2 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The LNS rate at left para-recurrent laryngeal nerve(RLN) site was significantly higher for open surgery than for MIE(80.2% vs 43.9%, P < 0.001), but no differences were noted at other sites. The LNM rate at left para-RLN site in the open surgery group was significantly higher than that in the MIE group, regardless of pathologic T stage. CONCLUSION: For stages T1 and T2 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, the lymph node dissection result after MIE was comparable to that achieved by open surgery. However, the efficacy of MIE in lymphadenectomy for stage T3 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, particularly at left para-RLN site, remains to be improved.