ObjectiveTo compare the clinical efficacy of cone-shaped gastric tube combined with cervical end-to-end stratified manual anastomosis and conventional tubular stomach combined with neck end-to-end mechanical side-to-side anastomosis in thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. MethodsThe clinical data of consecutive patients treated by thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of the First People's Hospital of Neijiang from January 1, 2018 to March 25, 2021 were analyzed. The patients were divided into a cone-shaped gastric tube manual group (treated with cone-shaped gastric tube combined with cervical end-to-end stratified manual anastomosis) and a conventional tubular stomach mechanical group (treated with conventional tubular stomach+end-to-end mechanical side-to-side anastomosis). The anastomotic time, intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph node dissection, anastomotic fistula, anastomotic stenosis, anastomotic cost, sternogastric dilatation, gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, and postoperative complications were compared and analyzed between the two groups. ResultsA total of 161 patients were enrolled, including 112 males and 49 females aged 40-82 years. There were 80 patients in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group, and 81 patients in the conventional tubular stomach mechanical group. There was no statistical difference in the intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph nodes dissected, hoarseness, pulmonary infection, arrhythmia, respiratory failure or chylothorax between the two groups (P>0.05). The anastomosis time of the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group was longer than that of the conventional tubular stomach mechanical group (28.35±3.20 min vs. 14.30±1.26 min, P<0.001), but the anastomotic cost and incidence of thoracogastric dilatation in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group were significantly lower than those of the conventional tubular stomach mechanical group [948.48±70.55 yuan vs. 4 978.76±650.29 yuan, P<0.001; 3 (3.8%) vs. 14 (17.3%), P=0.005]. The incidences of anastomotic fistula and anastomotic stenosis in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group were lower than those in the conventional tubular gastric mechanical group, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The gastroesophageal reflux scores in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group were lower than those in the conventional tubular gastric mechanical group at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after the operation (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that digestive tract reconstruction method was the influencing factor for postoperative thoracogastric dilation, which was reduced in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group. ConclusionCone-shaped gastric tube combined with cervical end-to-end stratified manual anastomosis can significantly reduce the incidence of thoracogastric dilatation after thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer and save hospitalization costs, with mild gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, and it still has certain advantages in reducing postoperative anastomotic fistula and anastomotic stenosis, which is worthy of clinical promotion.
ObjectiveTo compare the safety and comfort of patients with or without postoperative gastric tube placement after esophageal cancer surgery, and analyze the cost and nursing time of gastric tube placement. Methods The patients with esophageal cancer undergoing minimally invasive surgery in West China Hospital of Sichuan University in 2021 were enrolled. The patients were divided into a gastric tube indwelling group and a non gastric tube indwelling group according to whether the gastric tube was indwelled after the operation. The safety and comfort indicators of the two groups were compared. Results A total of 130 patients were enrolled. There were 66 patients in the gastric tube indwelling group, including 53 males and 13 females, aged 61.80±9.05 years and 64 patients in the non gastric tube indwelling group, including 55 males and 9 females, aged 64.47±8.00 years. Six patients in the non gastric tube indwelling group needed to place gastric tube 1 to 3 days after the operation due to their condition. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups (P>0.05). The subjective comfort of patients in the gastric tube indwelling group was significantly lower than that in the non gastric tube indwelling group (P<0.001), and the incidence of foreign body sensation in the throat of patients in the gastric tube indwelling group was higher than that in the non gastric tube indwelling group (P<0.001). The average nursing time in the gastric tube indwelling group was about 59.58 minutes, and the average cost of gastric tube materials and nursing was 378.24 yuan per patient. Conclusion No gastric tube used after operation for appropriate esophageal cancer patients will not increase the incidence of postoperative complications (pulmonary infection, anastomotic leakage, chylothorax), but can increase the comfort of patients, save cost and reduce nursing workload, which is safe, feasible and economical.
ObjectiveTo explore the effect of preoperative glucocorticoid on systemic inflammatory indexes and pulmonary inflammation after radical esophagectomy.MethodsA total of 44 patients with esophageal cancer treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from July 2019 to September 2020 were selected and randomly divided into an intervention group and an observation group by random number table. There were 22 patients in the intervention group, including 20 males and 2 females with an average age of 62.86±5.22 years and 22 patients in the observation group, including 19 males and 3 females with an average age of 63.00±6.19 years. Two groups were given thoracoscope-assisted incision via right chest, upper abdomen and left neck. The intervention group was given an intravenous infusion of methylprednisolone 500 mg before induction of anesthesia, and the observation group was given the same dose of normal saline. The second generation cephalosporins were routinely used to prevent infection in the two groups. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), lymphocyte and neutrophil count before operation and 1 day, 3 days and 5 days after operation were recorded and compared between the two groups. Utrecht Pneumonia Scoring System (UPSS) score 1 day after operation, the healing of the surgical incision and the anastomotic leakage within 2 weeks after the operation were evaluated.ResultsThe level of IL-6 in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the observation group at 1 hour and 1 day after operation (both P<0.05). CRP showed significant difference between the two groups 2 days after operation (P=0.044). The white blood cell count in the intervention group was significantly less than that in the observation group 1 day and 3 days after operation (both P<0.05). There was no significant difference in lymphocyte or neutrophil count between the two groups 1 day after operation. There was no significant difference in the rate of non-grade A wound healing or the incidence of anastomotic leakage between the two groups within 2 weeks after operation. The pneumonia score of UPSS in the intervention group was lower than that in the observation group 1 day after operation (P=0.027).ConclusionThe use of glucocorticoid before radical esophagectomy can reduce the systemic inflammatory reaction and improve the short-term postoperative pulmonary inflammation. At the same time, no adverse effect on the healing of surgical incision and anastomotic stoma is found, which has certain safety.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the timing of chest tube removal after resection of lung or esophageal cancer.MethodsA prospective randomized controlled study was performed. From June 2014 to February 2016, 150 patients suspected with the cancer of lung or esophagus undergoing neoplasm resection and lymph node dissection in our single medical unit were classified into 3 groups according to the random number generated by SPSS17.0 with 50 patients in the each group. The drainage volume for chest tube removal was ≤100 mL/d in the group Ⅰ, 101–200 mL/d in the group Ⅱ, and 201–300 mL/d in the group Ⅲ. Chest radiography was performed 48 hours following chest tube removal. ResultsThe 127 patients (108 males and 19 females, with an average age of 59.0±8.7 years) eligible for analysis consisted of 45 patients in the group Ⅰ, 41 in the group Ⅱ, and 41 in the group Ⅲ respectively after the 23 patients were excluded from this study who were diagnosed as benign lesions through intraoperative frozen pathology (n=20) and postoperative complications (empyema in 2 patients and chylothorax in 1 patient). Age, sex, types of neoplasm, and comorbidities except procedures via video-assisted thoracic surgery (and laparoscopy) showed no significant difference among the three groups (P>0.05). No mortality was observed in this study. There were postoperative complications in 6 patients and its distribution had no statistical differences among the three groups (P>0.05). The mean postoperative duration of chest tube was 181.0±68.2 h, 111.0±63.1 h, 76.0±37.2 h, the mean drainage volume was 1 413.0±500.9 mL, 1 005.0±686.4 mL, 776.0±505.8 mL, and the mean hospital stay time following chest tube removal was 19.0±9.7 d, 14.0±8.0 d, 9.0±4.8 d in the group Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ, respectively; there was a significant difference among the three groups (P=0.000). The 13 patients required reintervention after chest tube removal due to pleural effusion accumulation and there was no difference among the three groups (P>0.05). Chest pain relieved essentially after chest tube removal in all patients.ConclusionA drainage volume of ≤300 mL/d as a threshold for chest tube removal after resection of lung or esophageal cancer can shorten postoperative hospital stay and accelerate early recovery of the patients.
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 assess the outcome of harmonic scalpel (HS) in esophageal cancer surgery and to provide evidence for the role of HS in the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) and short-term prognosis after esophageal cancer surgery.
Methods
We collected the clinical data of 81 esophageal cancer patients receiving surgery by HS between January 1 and December 31, 2016 and successfully followed up in our department. There were 67 males and 14 females with an average age of 64.07±7.52 years. Sweet approach was adopted in 16 patients, Ivor-Lewis approach in 23 and McKeown approach in 40. Intrathoracic anastomosis was completed in 41 patients and cervical anastomosis in 40. The length of total hospital stay and postoperative hospital stay, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, duration and volume of thoracic drainage and perioperative complications were recorded and compared in patients with different surgical approaches and anastomosis sites.
Results
For these 81 patients, the operation time was 276.7±70.4 min, and the intraoperative blood loss was 115.9±69.7 ml. The postoperative duration of thoracic drainage, postoperative complication rate and the drainage volume were 12.3±5.3 d, 35.80% and 1 411.9±1 199.5 ml, respectively. During the follow-up, 15 patients died and the cumulative survival rate was 81.48%. There was no obvious HS-related complication. The operation time of Sweet approach was shorter than that of Ivor-Lewis or McKeown approach (P=0.012) and the dissected lymph nodes were less in Sweet approach (P=0.035). There was no significant difference in perioperative indexes and postoperative short-term prognosis between intrathoracic anastomosis and cervical anastomosis.
Conclusion
HS is widely used in the surgery for esophageal cancer with safety and effectiveness, which is worthy of clinical application.
ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and efficacy of 3D single-portal inflatable mediastinoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.MethodsClinical data of 28 patients, including 25 males and 3 females, aged 51-76 years, with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing single-portal inflatable mediastinoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy from June 2018 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to different surgical methods including a 3D mediastinoscopic group (3D group, 10 patients) and a 2D mediastinoscopic group (2D group, 18 patients). The perioperative outcome of the two groups were compared.ResultsCompared with the 2D group, the 3D group had shorter operation time (P=0.017), more lymph nodes resected (P=0.005) and less estimated blood loss (P=0.015). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the main surgeon's vertigo and visual ghosting (P>0.05). The other aspects including the indwelling time, postoperative hospital stay, pulmonary infection, arrhythmia, anastomotic fistula, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury were not statistically significant between the two groups (P>0.05).ConclusionThe 3D inflatable mediastinoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, which optimizes the surgical procedures of 2D, is safe and feasible, and is worthy of clinical promotion in the future.
The informatization construction in medical field not only brings convenience to clinical doctors, but also creates huge data for clinical research. Taking the application of information technology in thoracic surgery as an example, we decide to talk about the establishment and application of esophageal cancer database based on standardized and structured electronic medical records. The aim, through the construction of database, is to improve clinical doctors’ management ability of esophageal cancer, to provide reference of the information construction to medical colleagues, and to promote the application of information in medicine.
ObjectiveTo review the lymph node metastasis pattern and its dissection value among adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) patients, in order to assist suitable individualized lymph node dissection strategies for diverse AEG patients. MethodsThe reports about lymph node metastasis and the value of dissection of AEG worldwide in recent years were retrieved and summarized. ResultsThe sites with higher lymph node metastasis rate of AEG included No.1, No.2, No.3, No.7 lymph nodes, etc. and sites with higher lymph node metastasis rate often benefit from dissection. Lymph node metastasis was related to factors such as tumor size and location, and lymph node dissection at individual sites is still controversial. ConclusionThe lymph node dissection range of AEG is highly controversial, especially for Siewert type Ⅱ AEG, which still requires prospective multicenter studies to prove.
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.
