Case of Superficial Cancer Located at the Pharyngoesophageal Junction Which Was Dissected by Endoscopic Laryngopharyngeal Surgery Combined with Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection

Issues and controversies in esophageal inlet patch

The proximal esophagus is rarely examined, and its inspection is often inadequate. Optical chromoendoscopy techniques such as narrow band imaging improve the detection rate of inlet patches in the proximal esophagus, a region in which their prevalence is likely underestimated. Various studies have reported correlations between these esophageal marks with different issues such as Barrett's esophagus, but these findings remain controversial. Conflicting reports complicate the process of interpreting the clinical features of esophageal inlet patches and underestimate their importance. Unfortunately, the limited clinical data and statistical analyses make reaching any conclusions difficult. It is hypothesized that inlet patches are correlated with various esophageal and extraesophageal symptoms, diagnoses and the personalized therapeutic management of patients with inlet patches as well as the differential diagnosis for premalignant lesions or early cancers. Due to its potential underdiagnosis, there are no consensus guidelines for the management and follow up of inlet patches. This review focuses on questions that were raised from published literature on esophageal inlet patches in adults.

Comparative Study of Predictive Mortality Scores in Esophagectomy with Three-Field Lymph Node Dissection in Patients with Esophageal Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM

Esophagectomy is still the best therapeutic option for curing resectable esophageal cancer (EC). Radical surgical resection with three-field lymphadenectomy (3FLD) is a potentially curative treatment option. We compared the predictive accuracy of 5 different scores in patients with EC who underwent 3FLD.

METHODS

Five years' worth of medical records in a single institution were analyzed (January 2010 to January 2015) from 311 patients who underwent esophagectomy for EC. We selected 191 in whom 3FLD was performed. Mortality was calculated based on 5 predictive scores. Outcomes measures were intraoperative mortality, 30-day mortality, and 1- and 2-year mortality after surgery.

RESULTS

Intraoperative mortality and 30-day mortality after surgery was 0%; 1 and 2-year mortality were 19.8 and 31.4%, respectively. The area under the curve showed poor discriminatory power for all 5 scores (<0.7). In one-way analysis of variance, for 1 year mortality, Portsmouth-Physiological and Operative Severity Score for mortality (P-Possum) was significant (p = 0.0424); in a multivariable analysis for 2-year mortality, P-Possum (p < 0.0001) remained significant.

CONCLUSION

There is no accurate prognosis score for esophagectomy in patients who undergo high-risk procedures like 3FLD. New scores are needed to predict the mortality after 3FLD with good discriminatory power. Independent factors affect survival and may function as the baseline for obtaining a new accurate mortality score.