Larynx preservation in surgical treatment of cervical esophageal cancer--combined procedure of laryngeal suspension and cricopharyngeal myotomy

Surgical Outcomes of Cervical Esophageal Cancer: A Single-Center Experience

Background

Cervical esophageal cancer is a rare malignancy that requires specialized care. While definitive chemoradiation is the standard treatment approach, surgery remains a valuable option for certain patients. This study examined the surgical outcomes of patients with cervical esophageal cancer.

Methods

The study involved a retrospective review and analysis of 24 patients with cervical esophageal cancer. These patients underwent surgical resection between September 1994 and December 2018.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 61.0±10.2 years, and 22 (91.7%) of them were male. Furthermore, 21 patients (87.5%) had T3 or T4 tumors, and 11 (45.8%) exhibited lymph node metastasis. Gastric pull-up with esophagectomy was performed for 19 patients (79.2%), while 5 (20.8%) underwent free jejunal graft with cervical esophagectomy. The 30-day operative mortality rate was 8.3%. During the follow-up period, complications included leakage at the anastomotic site in 9 cases (37.5%) and graft necrosis of the gastric conduit in 1 case. Progression to oral feeding was achieved in 20 patients (83.3%). Fifteen patients (62.5%) displayed tumor recurrence. The median time from surgery to recurrence was 10.5 months, and the 1-year recurrence rate was 73.3%. The 1-year and 3-year survival rates were 75% and 33.3%, respectively, with a median survival period of 17 months.

Conclusion

Patients with cervical esophageal cancer who underwent surgical resection faced unfavorable outcomes and relatively poor survival. The selection of cases and decision to proceed with surgery should be made cautiously, considering the risk of severe complications.

A survey of the clinical outcomes of cervical esophageal carcinoma surgery focusing on the presence or absence of laryngectomy using the National Clinical Database in Japan

BACKGROUND

One upside of cervical esophageal carcinoma is that radical surgery can be performed by laryngectomy, even for tumors with tracheal invasion. However, this approach drastically reduces the quality of life, such as by losing the vocal function. Cervical esophageal carcinoma is rare, and no comprehensive reports have described the current state of surgery. Using a Japanese nationwide web-based database, we analyzed the surgical outcomes of cervical esophageal carcinoma to evaluate the impact of larynx-preserving surgery.

METHODS

Based on the Japan National Clinical Database, 215 surgically treated cases of cervical esophageal carcinoma between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019, were enrolled. Clinical outcomes were compared between the larynx-preserved group and the laryngectomy group.

RESULTS

Ninety-four (43.7%) patients underwent larynx-preserving surgery. A total of 177 (82.3%) patients underwent free jejunum reconstruction. More T4b patients and more patients who underwent preoperative radiotherapy were in the laryngectomy group. There were no significant differences in the frequency and the severity of morbidities between the two groups. However, in the laryngectomy group, in-hospital death within 30 days after surgery was observed in 1 patient, and the postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer (P = 0.030). In the larynx-preserved group, recurrent nerve paralysis was observed in 24.5%. Re-operation (35.3%, P = 0.016), re-intubation (17.6%, P = 0.019) and tracheal necrosis (17.6%, P = 0.028) were significantly more frequent in patients who underwent pharyngolaryngectomy with total esophagectomy and gastric tube reconstruction than in others.

CONCLUSION

Larynx-preserving surgery was therefore considered to be feasible because it was equivalent to laryngectomy regarding the short-term surgical outcomes.

Novel hybrid endoscopy-assisted larynx-preserving esophagectomy for cervical esophageal cancer (with video)

Hybrid endoscopy-assisted larynx-preserving esophagectomy is developed for cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma encroaching or extending above the upper esophageal sphincter. First, a cervical incision was surgically performed followed by cervical lymph node dissection. Second, the margin of cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was endoscopically identified with iodine staining and marked endoscopically followed by semi-circumferential or circumferential endoscopic full-thickness excision around the lumen of the esophagus. The distal margin was surgically resected and reconstruction was performed. Among six consecutive patients with cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing hybrid endoscopy-assisted larynx-preserving esophagectomy, proximal surgical margin was histologically negative in five patients. During a median follow-up period of 15.5 months, all patients tolerated oral intake and were alive without evidence of recurrence. None of the patients experienced aspiration pneumonia, vocal disorder or postoperative anastomotic stricture. Hybrid endoscopy-assisted larynx-preserving esophagectomy could be a clinically feasible treatment for cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma providing accurate proximal resection margin with the benefit of laryngeal function preservation.

Larynx-preserving hybrid surgery with endoscopic laryngopharyngeal surgery and open surgery for cervical esophageal cancer invading pharynx

Larynx preserving hybrid surgery with endoscopic laryngopharyngeal surgery and open surgery (HELPS) was created for resectable cervical esophageal cancer (CEC) invading the hypopharynx. This study aimed to verify the effectiveness and to evaluate the feasibility of the new HELPS treatment method. Between 2014 and 2018, 19 patients with CEC invading the hypopharynx were treated with HELPS. The postoperative complications and survival rates were reviewed. Postoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis occurred in four patients. All patients consumed food orally without a feeding tube at the time of the discharge. The median follow-up period was 27 months. The 2- and 3-year overall survival rates were 94.7 and 71.5%, respectively. HELPS, a new surgical treatment method that utilizes endoscopic surgery, is effective, feasible and beneficial for preserving the larynx in patients with CEC even if the tumor invaded the pharynx.

Esophageal reconstruction with larynx preservation using forearm-free flap

Surgery for cervical esophageal malignancy frequently involves comcomitant total laryngectomy carried out because of either oncologic or functional concerns. Though uncommon, preservation of the larynx has, in recent years, been described in patients undergoing cervical esophagectomy with reconstruction of the resulting circumferential esophageal defect achieved using either free jejunal flaps or gastric pullup procedures. The use of tubed-free cutaneous flaps for circumferential cervical esophageal reconstruction, however, has been rarely described in situations where the larynx has been preserved. We describe successful use of a tubed radial forearm-free flap for reconstruction of a circumferential cervical esophageal defect with preservation of the larynx. Use of the radial forearm flap in this situation resulted in minimal donor site-related morbidity, avoided the need for laparotomy and excellent voice and swallowing function were maintained. As such, use of tubed cutaneous free flaps can be considered an option for cervical esophageal reconstruction when the larynx has been preserved.

Esophageal cancers with synchronous or antecedent head and neck cancers: a more formidable challenge?

BACKGROUND

The presence of synchronous or antecedent head and neck cancers may complicate management of patients with primary esophageal cancer.

METHODS

From January 1982 to December 2004, by means of a prospectively collected database, we compared information from 119 patients with esophageal cancers who had synchronous or antecedent head and neck cancers with information from 1555 patients who only had squamous cell esophageal cancer in a tertiary referral academic hospital.

RESULTS

There were far more men and younger patients in those who had head and neck cancers, and multicentric tumors were also more common. Hypopharyngeal tumors were the most frequently encountered head and neck cancer and were found in 36.1% of patients. Resection rates of the primary esophageal cancers were similar in those who had head and neck cancers and in those who only had esophageal cancer (60.7% vs. 61.7% P = .74). Overall postoperative complication rates were not different. Thirty-day mortality rates were 0% and 2.9% for those who did and did not have head and neck tumors, respectively (P = .25). The respective hospital mortality rates were 10.3% and 9.5% (P = .83). Median survival for resectable esophageal cancers was 9.2 months for the former group and 13.4 months for the latter (P = .02).

CONCLUSIONS

Esophagectomy rates did not differ when synchronous or antecedent head and neck cancers were present. Similar postoperative morbidity and mortality rates could be achieved. The presence of additional head and neck tumors imparted a worse long-term prognosis.

Chirurgie réparatrice en cancérologie ORL : principales méthodes et indications

Oncologic cervicofacial surgery and plastic surgery have had a common evolution over the last 50 years where progress erasing from one was beneficial to the other one. We review here the historical evolution of these specialties and present the state of the art of plastic surgery in the field of cervicofacial oncology.