Prediction of a positive circumferential resection margin at surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus

Guiding significance of intraoperative frozen section for range of judging incisal edge of Esophageal Carcinoma

Objective:

To explore guiding significance of intraoperative frozen section for judging incisal edge range of esophageal carcinoma.

Methods:

A retrospective descriptive research design was used to collect the clinical and pathological data of 205 patients with esophageal cancer who were treated in Huaihe Hospital of Henan University from March 2012 to July 2015. Among them, 46 patients’ esophageal margins were made into intraoperative frozen sections.

Results:

In the 205 cases, nine cases were diagnoses with upper incisal edge cancerization, accounting for 4.39%, and five cases were diagnosed with lower incisal edge cancerization, accounting for 2.4%. There were 14 cases in total, accounting for 6.83%. four cases showed positive residual end of intraoperative frozen section.

Conclusion:

The cancerous focus residue of incisal edge in esophageal carcinoma is not uncommon. Intraoperative frozen section is helpful to judge the proper excision length of esophageal carcinoma.

Analysis of Esophagectomy Margin Practice and Survival Implications

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to determine how thoracic surgeons manage intraoperative esophagectomy positive margins and how these decisions may relate to overall survival and progression-free survival in esophageal cancer.

METHODS

A survey was sent to thoracic surgeons to understand the management of intraoperative positive esophagectomy margins. Primary data at two high-volume esophageal cancer institutions from 1994 to 2017 were retrospectively reviewed to identify patients who had intraoperative positive frozen section margins during esophagectomy. Patient characteristics and survival data were collected and analyzed. Overall survival and progression-free survival were assessed using a Cox model.

RESULTS

Eighty-five percent of thoracic surgeons responding to a survey reported the utilization of frozen pathologic evaluation during esophagectomy with attempts at re-resection to achieve negative margin. Our esophagectomy database identified 94 patients with intraoperative positive margins. Of those re-resected (n = 67, 63%), 44 patients (46.8%) were converted to R0 resections. overall survival was improved for patients in the R0 group (13 months) vs R+ group (3.4 months, P = .04). Progression-free survival was also improved between the R0 group (8.6 months) and the R+ group (2.2 months, P = .03). In a multivariable analysis for progression-free survival, margin status was an independent predictor of survival (hazard ratio 3.13, P = .03).

CONCLUSIONS

From a thoracic surgery survey, 85% of surgeons use intraoperative frozen section margin analysis to guide surgical decision making during an esophagectomy. Analyzing patients with a positive margin discovered during esophagectomy suggests that esophageal cancer patients who can undergo re-resection to a negative margin have increased progression-free survival. The final margin appears to be related to progression-free survival.