Surgical Management of Early-Stage Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Based on Lymph Node Metastasis Risk

Minimally Invasive Transhiatal Esophagectomy Using Antegrade Inversion Technique in Esophageal Cancer: 10-Year Experience from a Tertiary Care Center

Background: Esophageal cancer surgery aims for curative intent but carries high complication rates. Transthoracic esophagectomy is the dominant approach, however, transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) offers selective advantages in certain clinical scenarios. Minimally invasive THE (MI-THE) is an evolving technique with limited data. Methods: This retrospective study reviewed 38 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent MI-THE using "Antegrade Inversion Technique" between 2013 and 2023 at a tertiary care center. Perioperative outcomes were analyzed. Data were presented as mean with standard deviation, median with interquartile range, and percentages. Results: Most patients (86.8%) had early-stage cancer. Median operative time was 375 minutes, hospital stay was 8 days, and intensive care unit stay was 3 days. All patients achieved a negative resection margin. Pleural effusion (57.9%) was the most common complication, followed by pneumothorax (31.6%) and surgical site infection (15.8%). Anastomotic leak rate was 13.2%. There was no mortality. Conclusions: MI-THE appears safe and feasible with encouraging perioperative outcomes, particularly for early-stage disease and high-risk patients. While potentially offering advantages over open THE, further research is needed to definitively establish its role compared to traditional approaches.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for early esophageal adenocarcinoma: low rates of metastases in mucosal cancers with poor differentiation

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Endoscopic resection is accepted as standard treatment for intramucosal esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) that is well or moderately differentiated. Poor differentiation (PD) is judged as a risk factor for lymph node metastasis (LNM), and surgery is recommended. However, the evidence for this recommendation is weak. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical course of patients after endoscopic resection of EAC with PD.

METHODS

Patients undergoing endoscopic submucosal dissection for EAC were included from 16 German centers. Inclusion criteria were PD in the resection specimen, R0 resection, and endoscopic follow-up. Primary outcome was the metastasis rate during follow-up. Analysis was performed retrospectively in a prospectively collected database.

RESULTS

Twenty-five patients with PD as single risk factor (group A) and 15 patients with PD and additional risk factors (submucosal invasion and/or lymphovascular invasion) (group B) were included. The metastasis rate was was 1 of 25 (4.0%; 95% CI, .4%-17.2%) in group A and 3 of 15 (20.0%; 95% CI, 6.0%-44.4%) in group B, respectively (P = .293). The rate of EAC-associated deaths was 1 of 25 (4%; 95% CI, .4%-17.2%) versus 3 of 15 (20%; 95% CI, 6.0%-44.4%) in group B (P = .293). The overall death rate was 7 of 25 (28.0%; 95% CI, 13.5%-47.3%) versus 3 of 15 (20%; 95% CI, 6.0%-44.4%) (P = .715). Median follow-up was 30 months (interquartile range, 15-53 months).

CONCLUSIONS

During long-term follow-up, the risk of metastasis is low after endoscopic resection of mucosal EAC with PD as a single risk factor. A conservative approach seems justified in this small patient group. However, the treatment strategy must be determined on an individualized basis until further prospective data are available.

Prognostic impact of nodal status and lymphovascular invasion in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Nodal status is well known to be the most important prognostic factor for esophageal cancer patients, even if they are treated with neoadjuvant therapy. To establish an optimal postoperative adjuvant strategy for patients, we aimed to more accurately predict the prognosis of patients and systemic recurrence by using clinicopathological factors, including nodal status, in patients with esophageal cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The clinicopathological factors associated with survival and systemic recurrence were investigated in 488 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Overall survival differed according to tumor depth, nodal status, tumor regression, and lymphovascular (LV) invasion. In the multivariate analysis, nodal status and LV invasion were identified as independent prognostic factors (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0008). Nodal status was also identified as an independent factor associated with systemic recurrence, although LV invasion was a borderline factor (P = 0.066). In each pN stage, patients with LV invasion showed significantly worse overall survival than those without LV invasion (pN0: P = 0.036, pN1: P = 0.0044, pN2: P = 0.0194, pN3: P = 0.0054). Patients with LV invasion were also more likely to have systemic, and any recurrence than those without LV invasion in each pN stage. Pathological nodal status and LV invasion were the most important predictors of survival and systemic recurrence in patients with esophageal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery. This finding could provide useful information about selecting candidates for adjuvant therapy among these patients. Our analysis showed that LV invasion was an independent prognostic factor in patients with esophageal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and that combining LV invasion with pathological nodal status makes it possible to stratify the prognosis in those patients.

Esophagectomy versus observation following endoscopic submucosal dissection of pT1b esophageal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Management following endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of pT1b esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) remains controversial. This study compared pathological and survival outcomes of patients after endoscopic resection (ER) of pT1b EAC followed by either en bloc esophagectomy or observation.

METHODS

From 1/12 to 12/22, all patients with pT1b EAC treated with ER were identified from a prospectively maintained departmental database. ESD was curative (all of: Submucosal invasion < 500 μm; G1/2, LVI/PNI-; deep margin-) or non-curative (one or more of Submucosal invasion ≥ 500 μm; G3; LVI/PNI+; deep margin+). Patients were allocated to observation (OBS) or esophagectomy (SURG) based on patient factors/preference and pathological variables.

RESULTS

56/171 ERs met the inclusion criteria. ER was curative in 8/56 (14%) and non-curative in 48/56 (86%). OBS was undertaken after 8/27 (30%) curative and 19/27 (70%) non-curative resections. All 29 SURG patients had non-curative ERs and were younger, had lower Charlson comorbidity scores and had more deep margin + lesions than OBS patients. Post-esophagectomy, 15/29 (52%) had no residual disease within the surgical specimen while pT+N-/pT-N+/pT+N+ occurred in 5/3/6 (17%/10%/21%) patients. Of those with residual disease in the surgical specimen, 12/14 (86%) had deep margin + ERs; however, only ESD instead of EMR was independently associated with a lower risk of residual disease (OR 0.431, 95% CI - 0.016 to 1.234, p = 0.045). OBS and SURG patients had equivalent overall survival outcomes and recurrence was low in both groups even following non-curative ER. Follow-up was 28 months (0-102) and 30 months (0-97), respectively.

CONCLUSION

In select patients, including some of those with a non-curative ESD resection of pT1B EAC, surveillance alone may be appropriate. Alternatives beyond traditional pathological features is needed to direct patient care more accurately.

The association between histological subtypes and lymph node metastasis and prognosis in early esophageal cancer: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

There is still a lack of high-level clinical evidence and uniform conclusions on whether there are differences in lymph node metastasis (LNM) and prognosis between early esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS

Patients with surgically resected, histologically diagnosed, pT1 EAC or ESCC in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registries database from 2004 to 2015 were included. Multivariable logistic regression, Cox regression, multivariate competing risk model, and propensity score matching were used to analyze association the histology and LNM or prognosis.

RESULTS

A total of 570 early esophageal cancer patients were included. The LNM rates were 13.8% and 15.1% for EAC and ESCC ( P  = 0.757), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed no significant association between histological type and LNM (odds ratio [OR], 1.209; 95% CI, 0.538-2.715; P  = 0.646). Moreover, the prognosis of early EAC and ESCC was shown to be comparable in both multivariate Cox regression (hazard ratio [HR], 1.483; 95% CI, 0.699-3.150; P  = 0.305) and the multivariate competing risk model (subdistribution HR, 1.451; 95% CI, 0.628-3.354; P  = 0.383). After propensity score matching, there were no significant differences between early EAC and ESCC in terms of LNM (10.6% vs.18.2%, P  = 0.215), 5-year CSS (89.8% [95% CI, 81.0%-98.6%] vs. 79.1% [95% CI, 67.9%-90.3%], P  = 0.102) and 5-year cumulative incidence of CSS (10.2% [95% CI, 1.4%-19.0%] vs. 79.1% [95% CI, 9.7%-32.1%], P  = 0.124).

CONCLUSION

The risk of LNM and prognosis of early ESCC and EAC are comparable, so the treatment choice for early esophageal cancer does not depend on the histologic type.

Construction and validation of a risk-scoring model to predict lymph node metastasis in T1b-T2 esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

Lymph node status is an important factor in determining preoperative treatment strategies for stage T1b-T2 esophageal cancer (EC). Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for lymph node metastasis (LNM) in T1b-T2 EC and to establish and validate a risk-scoring model to guide the selection of optimal treatment options.

METHODS

Patients who underwent upfront surgery for pT1b-T2 EC between January 2016 and December 2022 were analyzed. On the basis of the independent risk factors determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis, a risk-scoring model for the prediction of LNM was constructed and then validated. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the discriminant ability of the model.

RESULTS

The incidence of LNM was 33.5% (214/638) in our cohort, 33.4% (169/506) in the primary cohort and 34.1% (45/132) in the validation cohort. Multivariate analysis confirmed that primary site, tumor grade, tumor size, depth, and lymphovascular invasion were independent risk factors for LNM (all P < 0.05), and patients were grouped based on these factors. A 7-point risk-scoring model based on these variables had good predictive accuracy in both the primary cohort (AUC, 0.749; 95% confidence interval 0.709-0.786) and the validation cohort (AUC, 0.738; 95% confidence interval 0.655-0.811).

CONCLUSION

A novel risk-scoring model for lymph node metastasis was established to guide the optimal treatment of patients with T1b-T2 EC.

Evaluation of OTL38-Generated Tumor-to-Background Ratio in Intraoperative Molecular Imaging-Guided Lung Cancer Resections

INTRODUCTION

Cancer surgery has multiple challenges including localizing small lesions, ensuring negative margins, and identifying synchronous cancers. One of the tools proposed to address these issues is intraoperative molecular imaging (IMI). An important consideration in IMI is the quantification of the tumor fluorescence during the procedure and using that data to add clinical value. Currently, the most commonly cited measure of quantification is the tumor-to-background ratio (TBR). Our goal was to evaluate the clinical value of TBR measured with OTL38 NIR tracer during a lung cancer resection.

METHODS

Intraoperative data was retrospectively reviewed from a prospectively collected 5-year database. Between 2015 and 2020, 279 patients were included in the study. For standardization, all patients underwent infusion of the same targeted molecular optical contrast agent (OTL38) for lung cancer resections; then, the mean fluorescence intensity of the tumors and background tissues were calculated. To evaluate the clinical efficacy of the TBR calculation, the results were correlated with patient, biologic, tumor, and technological factors.

RESULTS

For pulmonary surgery, patient factors such as gender, age, smoking history, and time from infusion of OTL38 to surgery did not have any statistical significance in predicting the TBR during surgery. In addition, TBR measurements did not correlate with location of the tumor in the lung (p = 0.123). There was no statistical correlation of preoperative positron emission tomography measurements (standardized uptake value) with intraoperative TBR. However, there was statistically significant negative correlation of in situ TBR measurement and the distance of the lesion from the surface of the organ (p < 0.001). Adenocarcinoma spectrum lesions overall had statistically significant correlation with in situ fluorescence compared to other NSCLC malignancies (p < 0.01) but TBR measurements could not identify histopathologic subtype on univariate analysis (p = 0.089). There was a tendency for in situ fluorescence for moderately and well-differentiated adenocarcinoma spectrum lesions, but this was not statistically significant. When comparing the in situ TBR of benign to malignant nodules in the lung, there was no statistically significant association (p = 0.145). In subset analysis, adenocarcinoma spectrum lesions tend to fluoresce at brighter with OTL38 compared to other histologic subtypes.

CONCLUSION

In our various iterations, the results of our retrospective analysis did not show that TBR measurements during OTL38-guided surgery provide clinically useful information about the nature of the nodule or cancer. The true value of IMI is in the ability for the surgeon to use the fluorescence to guide the surgeon to the tumor and margins, but that sophisticated quantification of the amount of fluorescence may not have clinical utility.

Management of Dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus and Early Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

While patients with Barrett's esophagus without dysplasia may benefit from endoscopic surveillance, those with low-grade dysplasia may be managed with either endoscopic surveillance or endoscopic eradication. Patients with Barrett's esophagus with high-grade dysplasia and/or intramucosal adenocarcinoma will generally require endoscopic eradication therapy. The management of Barrett's esophagus with dysplasia and early esophageal adenocarcinoma is predominantly endoscopic, with multiple effective methods available for the resection of raised neoplasia and ablation of flat neoplasia. High-dose proton-pump inhibitor therapy is advised during the treatment of Barrett's esophagus with dysplasia and early esophageal adenocarcinoma. After the endoscopic eradication of Barrett's esophagus and associated neoplasia, surveillance is required for the diagnosis and retreatment of recurrence or progression.

The Novel Conduit: Challenges of Esophagectomy After Bariatric Surgery

Metabolic surgery has been on the rise over the last 2 decades. As more literature has been being published regarding its efficacy in treating metabolic syndrome as well as advancements in surgical training and safety rise with it, metabolic surgery will in no doubt continue to increase in prevalence. Concomitantly, the prevalence of esophageal cancer is increasing. We present two cases of patients who are status post sleeve gastrectomy and require esophagectomy. These patients do not have the availability of a gastric conduit, and colon interposition graft was planned for their reconstructions. We here review the two unique case scenarios as well as an overview of colon interposition technique and workup considerations. The need this reconstruction technique will likely increase in the years to come and metabolic surgery and esophageal cancer both continue to rise.

Development and validation of a nomogram for preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis in pathological T1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Endoscopic resection is increasingly used to treat patients with pathological T1 (pT1) esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) because of its small surgical trauma. However, reports of the risk factors for lymph node metastasis (LNM) have been controversial. Therefore, we aim to build a nomogram to individually predict the risk of LNM in pT1 ESCC patients, to make an optimal balance between surgical trauma and surgical income.One hundred seventy patients with pT1 esophageal cancer in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Logistic proportional hazards models were conducted to find out the risk factor associated with LNM independently, and those were imported into R library "RMS" for analysis. A nomogram is generated based on the contribution weights of variables. Finally, decision analysis and clinical impact curve were used to determine the optimal decision point.Twenty-five (14.7%) of the 170 patients with pT1 ESCC exhibited LNM. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that smoking, carcinoembryonic antigen, vascular tumor thromboembolus, and tumor differentiation degree were independent risk factors for LNM. The nomogram had relatively high accuracy (C index of 0.869, 95% confidence interval: 0.794-0.914, P < .0001). The decision curve analysis provided the most significant clinical benefit for the entire included population, with scores falling just above the total score of 85 in the nomogram.Smoking, carcinoembryonic antigen, vascular tumor thromboembolus, and tumor differentiation degree may predict the risk of LNM in tumor 1 ESCC. The risk of LNM can be predicted by the nomogram.

Advanced Endoscopic Resection Techniques: Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection and Endoscopic Full-Thickness Resection

Endoscopic resection is first-line therapy in the management of superficial neoplasms throughout the gastrointestinal tract, as well as an increasingly viable therapeutic alternative in the resection of selected small deep lesions throughout the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. The mainstay of therapy has traditionally been endoscopic snare polypectomy and endoscopic mucosal resection. However, recent innovative advancements in therapeutic endoscopy have provided for the ability to resect large superficial lesions and selected subepithelial lesions in en bloc and margin-negative fashion. In this review, we discuss the current state of the art in advanced endoscopic resection techniques including endoscopic submucosal dissection and endoscopic full-thickness resection.

Barrett’s esophagus: Review of natural history and comparative efficacy of endoscopic and surgical therapies

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Progression to cancer typically occurs in a stepwise fashion through worsening dysplasia and ultimately, invasive neoplasia. Established EAC with deep involvement of the esophageal wall and/or metastatic disease is invariably associated with poor long-term survival rates. This guides the rationale of surveillance of Barrett’s in an attempt to treat lesions at an earlier, and potentially curative stage. The last two decades have seen a paradigm shift in management of Barrett’s with rapid expansion in the role of endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) for management of dysplastic and early neoplastic BE, and there have been substantial changes to international consensus guidelines for management of early BE based on evolving evidence. This review aims to assist the physician in the therapeutic decision-making process with patients by comprehensive review and summary of literature surrounding natural history of Barrett’s by histological stage, and the effectiveness of interventions in attenuating the risk posed by its natural history. Key findings were as follows. Non-dysplastic Barrett’s is associated with extremely low risk of progression, and interventions cannot be justified. The annual risk of cancer progression in low grade dysplasia is between 1%-3%; EET can be offered though evidence for its benefit remains confined to highly select settings. High-grade dysplasia progresses to cancer in 5%-10% per year; EET is similarly effective to and less morbid than surgery and should be routinely performed for this indication. Risk of nodal metastases in intramucosal cancer is 2%-4%, which is comparable to operative mortality rate, so EET is usually preferred. Submucosal cancer is associated with nodal metastases in 14%-41% hence surgery remains standard of care, except for select situations.

Significance of the dissection of common hepatic arterial lymph nodes in patients with oesophageal carcinoma: a multicentre retrospective study

OBJECTIVES

To explore the significance of intraoperative common hepatic arterial lymph node dissection in patients with ooesophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) without coeliac trunk lymph node metastasis indicated by abdominal enhanced CT.

METHODS

Patients aged 18-75 years who underwent oesophagectomy in three medical centres from June 2012 to June 2015, for whom R0 resection was completed and lymph node metastasis in the abdominal trunk was not identified before the operation were retrospectively analysed. The effects of the application value of common hepatic arterial lymph node dissection on survival were evaluated in patients with ESCC without coeliac trunk lymph node metastasis indicated by preoperative CT. According to the eighth version ofAmerican Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)/Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) staging, we selected patients with a Pathological Tumor Node Metastasis (pTNM) stage ranging from IA to IVA for analysis.

RESULTS

Among the 816 qualified patients, 577 did not have coeliac trunk lymph node metastasis based on preoperative abdominal enhanced CT, and common hepatic arterial lymph node dissection was performed during the operation (observation group). Two hundred and thirty-nine preoperative CT examinations indicated no coeliac trunk lymph node metastasis, and common hepatic arterial lymph node dissection was not performed during the operation (control group). A multifactor Cox proportional hazards model showed no risk factors for overall survival (OS) (adjusted HR (HRadj)=0.91; p=0.404) or disease-free survival (DFS) (HRadj=0.86; p=0.179), regardless of whether common hepatic arterial lymph node dissection was performed. For patients with positive left gastric arterial lymph node metastasis, a multifactor Cox proportional hazards model indicated that common hepatic arterial lymph node dissection was a risk factor for OS (HRadj=0.63; p=0.035) and DFS (HRadj=0.58; p=0.026).

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with ESCC without celiac trunk metastasis indicated by abdominal enhanced CT, common hepatic arterial lymph node dissection conferred no survival benefits. However, for patients with left gastric arterial lymph node metastasis, common hepatic arterial lymph node dissection was beneficial.

Clinical Predictors of Locally Advanced Pathology in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Background

In patients with resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), the decision for neoadjuvant treatment depends on clinical staging with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and positron-emission tomography (PET) scan. Patients with locally advanced EAC pathology misclassified as early EAC by clinical staging are missing the opportunity to receive neoadjuvant therapy. We aim to identify predictors of locally advanced pathology in EAC to determine more accurately those who benefit from neoadjuvant therapy. 

Methods

Retrospective study of patients who underwent upfront endoscopic or surgical resection for EAC without neoadjuvant therapy from January 2011 to December 2017 was performed. Clinical characteristics, EUS, PET scan and histologic findings were analyzed. Multivariable analysis of predictors of locally advanced stage was performed and a risk prediction score was developed.

Results

A total of 97 patients were included; 68 patients were staged as early EAC (pT1 or pT2 and pN0) and 29 patients were staged as locally advanced EAC (pT1 or pT2 with pN1 and pT3 or pT4 irrespective of N status). In a predictive model of EAC, patients presenting with dysphagia, tumor size >2 cm, exophytic mass appearance on endoscopy and absence of hiatal hernia were more likely to be have locally advanced pathology with a probability of 70% (C-statistic 0.766).

Conclusions

A risk prediction model based on the presence of dysphagia, tumor size >2 cm, exophytic mass appearance and absence of hiatal hernia can be used to identify locally advanced pathology in EAC patients.

The Influence of Different Treatment Strategies on the Long-Term Prognosis of T1 Stage Esophageal Cancer Patients

Objective

To compare the long-term prognosis effects of non-esophagectomy and esophagectomy on patients with T1 stage esophageal cancer.

Methods

All esophageal cancer patients in the study were included from the National Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database between 2005-2015. These patients were classified into non-esophagectomy group and esophagectomy group according to therapy methods and were compared in terms of esophagus cancer specific survival (ECSS) and overall survival (OS) rates.

Results

A total of 591 patients with T1 stage esophageal cancer were enrolled in this study, including 212 non-esophagectomy patients and 111 esophagectomy patients in the T1a subgroup and 37 non-esophagectomy patients and 140 esophagectomy patients in the T1b subgroup. In all T1 stage esophageal cancer patients, there was no difference in the effect of non-esophagectomy and esophagectomy on postoperative OS, but postoperative ECSS in patients treated with non-esophagectomy was significantly better than those treated with esophagectomy. Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis showed that the risk factors affecting ECSS included race, primary site, tumor size, grade, and AJCC stage but factors affecting OS only include tumor size, grade, and AJCC stage in T1 stage patients. In the subgroup analysis, there was no difference in either ECSS or OS between the non-esophagectomy group and the esophagectomy group in T1a patients. However, in T1b patients, the OS after esophagectomy was considerably better than that of non-esophagectomy.

Conclusions

Non-esophagectomy, including a variety of non-invasive procedures, is a safe and available option for patients with T1a stage esophageal cancer. For some T1b esophageal cancer patients, esophagectomy cannot be replaced at present due to its diagnostic and therapeutic effect on lymph node metastasis.

Close Observation versus Additional Surgery after Noncurative Endoscopic Resection of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

After noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC), additional esophagectomy is generally recommended. However, considering its high mortality and morbidity, it is uncertain if additional surgery improves the clinical outcomes. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between patients who were observed without additional treatment and those who underwent radical esophagectomy.

METHODS

A total of 52 patients with SESCC who underwent complete but noncurative ESD from January 2008 to December 2016 at the Samsung Medical Center and Asan Medical Center in Korea were retrospectively analyzed. Clinicopathologic characteristics and oncologic outcomes were compared between the observation group (n = 23) and the additional surgery group (n = 29).

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up of 34.4 and 41.7 months, respectively, the rates of death (observation vs. surgery, 17.4 vs. 10.3%; p = 0.686), recurrence (observation vs. surgery, 13 vs. 17.2%; p = 1.000), and disease-specific death (observation vs. surgery, 4.3 vs. 6.9%; p = 1.000) did not significantly differ between the 2 groups. The 3-year overall survival was 86.3 and 96.4%, respectively (p = 0.776). The 3-year recurrence-free survival (observation vs. surgery, 85.0 vs. 88.7%; p = 0.960) and disease-specific survival (observation vs. surgery, 95.2 vs. 96.4%; p = 0.564) also did not significantly differ.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical outcomes of close observation of noncuratively resected SESCC are comparable to those of additional surgery, at least in the midterm. The wait-and-see strategy could be a feasible management option after noncurative ESD of SESCC in selected patients.

A nomogram to predict lymph node metastasis risk for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

A nomogram was developed to predict lymph node metastasis (LNM) for patients with early-stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

We used the clinical data of ESCC patients with pathological T1 stage disease who underwent surgery from January 2011 to June 2018 to develop a nomogram model. Multivariable logistic regression was used to confirm the risk factors for variable selection. The risk of LNM was stratified based on the nomogram model. The nomogram was validated by an independent cohort which included early ESCC patients underwent esophagectomy between July 2018 and December 2019.

Results

Of the 223 patients, 36 (16.1%) patients had LNM. The following three variables were confirmed as LNM risk factors and were included in the nomogram model: tumor differentiation (odds ratio [OR] = 3.776, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.515–9.360, p = 0.004), depth of tumor invasion (OR = 3.124, 95% CI 1.146–8.511, p = 0.026), and tumor size (OR = 2.420, 95% CI 1.070–5.473, p = 0.034). The C-index was 0.810 (95% CI 0.742–0.895) in the derivation cohort (223 patients) and 0.830 (95% CI 0.763–0.902) in the validation cohort (80 patients).

Conclusions

A validated nomogram can predict the risk of LNM via risk stratification. It could be used to assist in the decision-making process to determine which patients should undergo esophagectomy and for which patients with a low risk of LNM, curative endoscopic resection would be sufficient.

Risk factors for lymph node metastasis in T1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) affects the application and outcomes of endoscopic resection in T1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, reports of the risk factors for LNM have been controversial.

AIM

To evaluate risk factors for LNM in T1 ESCC.

METHODS

We searched Embase, PubMed and Cochrane Library to select studies related to LNM in patients with T1 ESCC. Included studies were divided into LNM and non-LNM groups. We performed a meta-analysis to examine the relationship between LNM and clinicopathologic features. Odds ratio (OR), mean differences and 95% confidence interval (CI) were assessed using a fixed-effects or random-effects model.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies involving a total of 3775 patients with T1 ESCC met the inclusion criteria. After excluding studies with heterogeneity based on influence analysis, tumor size (OR = 1.93, 95%CI = 1.49-2.50, P < 0.001), tumor location (OR = 1.46, 95%CI = 1.17-1.82, P < 0.001), macroscopic type (OR = 3.17, 95%CI = 2.33-4.31, P < 0.001), T1 substage (OR = 6.28, 95%CI = 4.93-8.00, P < 0.001), differentiation (OR = 2.11, 95%CI = 1.64-2.72, P < 0.001) and lymphovascular invasion (OR = 5.86, 95%CI = 4.60-7.48, P < 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with LNM. Conversely, sex, age and infiltrative growth pattern were not identified as risk factors for LNM.

CONCLUSION

A tumor size > 2 cm, lower location, nonflat macroscopic type, T1b stage, poor differentiation and lymphovascular invasion were associated with LNM in patients with T1 ESCC.

Infiltration Depth is the Most Relevant Risk Factor for Overall Metastases in Early Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Research in early esophageal adenocarcinoma focused on prediction of lymph node metastases in order to stratify patients for endoscopic treatment instead of esophagectomy. Although distant metastases were described in rates of up to 13% of patients within a follow-up of 3 years, their prediction has been neglected so far.

METHODS

In a secondary analysis, a cohort of 217 patients (53 T1a and 164 T1b) treated by esophagectomy was analyzed for histopathological risk factors. Their ability to predict the combination of lymph node metastases at surgery as well as metachronous locoregional and distant metastases (overall metastatic rate) was assessed by uni- and multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Tumor invasion depth was correlated with both lymph node metastases at surgery (τ = 0.141; P = .012), tumor recurrences (τ = 0.152; P = .014), and distant metastases (τ = 0.122; P = 0.04). Multivariate analysis showed an odds ratio of 1.31 (95% CI 1.02-1.67; P = .033) per increasing tumor invasion depth and of 3.5 (95% CI 1.70-6.56; P < .001) for lymphovascular invasion. The pre-planned subgroup analysis in T1b tumors demonstrated an even lower predictive ability of lymphovascular invasion with an odds ratio of 2.5 (95% CI 1.11-5.65; P = 0.028), whereas the predictive effect of sm2 (odds ratio 3.44; 95% CI 1.00-11.9; P = 0.049) and sm3 (odds ratio 3.44; 95% CI 1.00-11.9; P = 0.049) tumor invasion depth was similar.

CONCLUSIONS

The present report demonstrates the insufficient risk prediction of histopathologic risk factors for the overall metastatic rate.

Defining low-risk lesions in early-stage esophageal adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE

As endoscopic approaches become more widely used to treat early-stage esophageal cancer, reliably identifying patients with less-aggressive tumors is paramount. We sought to identify risk factors for recurrence in patients with completely resected T1 esophageal adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed a single-institutional database for all patients with completely resected pathologic T1 esophageal adenocarcinoma (1996-2016). Risk factors for recurrence were identified using competing-risk regression methods. Risk stratification was performed on the basis of known preoperative clinicopathologic factors; this model's discriminative power for overall survival was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

Of 243 patients, 32 experienced recurrence. At a median follow-up among survivors of 4 years (range, 0.05-19 years), the 5-year cumulative incidence of recurrence was 15%, and median time to recurrence was 2 years (range, 0.26-6.13 years). On univariable analysis, submucosal invasion, N1 disease, poor differentiation, tumor length, lymphovascular invasion, and multicentricity were significantly associated with recurrence. On multivariable analysis, N1 disease (hazard ratio, 2.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-7.34; P = .022) and tumor length (hazard ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.86; P = .004) were independently associated with recurrence. Risk stratification showed that patients without lymphovascular invasion and a with median tumor length of 0.8 cm (range, 0.10-1.70 cm) had a <10% risk of recurrence and improved survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Pathologic T1 tumors have a 5-year cumulative incidence of recurrence of 15%. Nodal involvement and tumor length were independent risk factors for recurrence, whereas tumors <2 cm in length without lymphovascular invasion were associated with a low risk of recurrence.

A retrospective cohort study of endoscopic therapy and esophagectomy for stage 1 esophageal cancer: less is more

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Current guidelines recommend consideration of endoscopic therapy (ET) when treating select stage I esophageal cancers. The proportion of esophageal cancers treated with ET compared with esophagectomy has increased over time. Overall and cancer-specific survival have not been shown to be superior with ET in prior population-based studies. We thus evaluated cancer-specific survival comparing patients treated with ET and esophagectomy.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2004 to 2015 of patients with node-negative, superficial (T1a/T1b), esophageal cancer treated with ET or esophagectomy. Competing-risks models were used to compare cancer-specific survival. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess overall survival. Subgroup analysis was performed comparing time periods 2004 to 2009 and 2010 to 2015.

RESULTS

Of 2133 included individuals, 772 (36.2%) underwent ET and 1361 (63.8%) underwent esophagectomy. Unadjusted 5-year survival for cancer-specific death was 87.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 84.2-90.5) for ET and 82.4% (95% CI, 80.0- 84.5) for esophagectomy (P = .002). Within the adjusted competing-risk model, cancer-specific survival was superior in patients treated with ET compared with esophagectomy (subdistribution hazard ratio [SHR], 1.92; 95% CI, 1.35-2.74; P < .001). From 2004 to 2009, the SHR for esophagectomy was 1.68 (95% CI, 1.07-2.66; P = .024); whereas from 2010 to 2015, the SHR for esophagectomy was 2.02 (95% CI, 1.08-3.76; P = .027).

CONCLUSIONS

ET was associated with improved cancer-specific survival compared with esophagectomy in stage I esophageal cancer. This advantage was more pronounced for patients treated after 2009, potentially because of increasing clinician expertise in performing ET and patient selection.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection/endoscopic mucosal resection guidelines for esophageal cancer

The Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society has developed endoscopic submucosal dissection/endoscopic mucosal resection guidelines. These guidelines present recommendations in response to 18 clinical questions concerning the preoperative diagnosis, indications, resection methods, curability assessment, and surveillance of patients undergoing endoscopic resection for esophageal cancers based on a systematic review of the scientific literature.

Impact of metformin on survival outcome of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas patients undergoing surgical resection: a multicenter retrospective study

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a recognized risk factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC), and metformin is a recognized protective factor for some gastrointestinal tumors. But knowledge is limited regarding the effect of metformin on survival outcome of ESCC patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We assessed the impact of post-diagnosis metformin use on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in ESCC with T2DM undergoing surgical resection.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed on 3,523 patients with ESCC who met the study conditions after surgical resection. Log-rank and Cox regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between metformin and T2DM and ESCC survival rate, and adjusted according to age, gender, BMI, smoking, drinking and staging, et al.

Results

Among included ESCC patients, 619 were associated with type 2 diabetes, while the remaining 2,904 were not associated with type 2 diabetes. The 5-year OS (28.43%) of patients with T2DM was significantly lower than that of patients without T2DM (32.75%), P=0.037. DFS in 5 years were 27.30% (with T2DM) and 31.75% (without T2DM) (P=0.030), respectively. Compared with patients without T2DM, patients with T2DM presented worse OS [adjusted risk ratio (HR_adj) =1.19] and DFS (HRadj =1.17; P<0.001). Among the 619 patients with type 2 diabetes, 485 were treated with metformin and 134 were not treated with metformin. Patients treated with metformin had significantly improved OS [adjusted risk ratio (HR_adj) =0.89; P=0.031) and DFS (HR_adj =0.90; P=0.013).

Conclusions

T2DM was again associated with poorer survival in ESCC patients, and metformin may improve the prognosis of these patients.

Review of clinical trials in intraoperative molecular imaging during cancer surgery

Most solid cancers are treated by surgical resections to reduce the burden of disease. Surgeons often face the challenge of detecting small areas of residual neoplasm after resection or finding small primary tumors for the initial resection. Intraoperative molecular imaging (IMI) is an emerging technology with the potential to dramatically improve cancer surgery operations by allowing surgeons to better visualize areas of neoplasm using fluorescence imaging. Over the last two years, two molecular optical contrast agents received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, and several more drugs are now on the horizon. Thus a conference was organized at the University of Pennsylvania to bring together oncologic surgeons from different specialties to discuss the current clinical status of IMI trials with a specific focus on phase 2 and phase 3 studies. In addition, phase 1 and experimental trials were also discussed briefly, to highlight other novel techniques. Our review summarizes the discussions from the conference and delves into the types of cancers discussed, different contrast agents in human trials, and the clinical value being studied.

Clinical features of metastasis from superficial squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus

BACKGROUND

It is important to understand the sites and the frequency of metastasis to perform less invasive treatments for superficial esophageal cancer, such as minimized or focused lymphadenectomy, endoscopic resection, and chemoradiotherapy. The distribution pattern and frequency of metastases from superficial esophageal cancer, however, have not been well elucidated.

METHODS

In 342 patients with superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent esophagectomy, the sites and frequency of any metastasis, including lymph node metastasis at the time of esophagectomy, lymph node recurrence, and hematologic metastases were investigated. Factors associated with the likelihood of metastasis and prognosis were also examined.

RESULTS

The incidence of lymph node metastasis increased with tumor depth (m2 = 7%; m3 = 17%; sm1 = 29%; sm2 = 41%; and sm3 = 42%). Lymph node metastases were observed most frequently in upper mediastinal lymph nodes, such as upper paratracheal lymph nodes, and in perigastric lymph nodes, such as paracardial lymph nodes and the left gastric lymph nodes. Lymph node metastases were also observed across a broad range of lymph nodes, including cervical, mediastinal, and abdominal lymph node regions, irrespective of tumor location. The 5-year overall survival and disease-specific survival rates were 78% and 89%, respectively. Submucosal invasion and lymphatic invasion were identified as independent factors associated with metastasis. Lymphatic invasion was also identified as an independent factor associated with disease-specific survival.

CONCLUSION

The present study shows that metastasis can occur in a wide range of lymph node stations even in superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Together with the finding that lymphatic invasion is an independent prognostic factor, this study may help determine the treatment strategy for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Transhiatal distal esophagectomy for Siewert type II cardia cancer can be a treatment option in selected patients

BACKGROUND

While surgical treatment of Siewert I and III (S1,S3) Esophagogastric Junction (EGJ) cancer is codified, the efficay of transhiatal procedure with anastomosis in the lower mediastinum for Siewert II (S2) still remains a dibated topic.

METHODS

This is a large multicenter retrospective study. The results of 598 consecutive patients submitted to resection with curative intent from January 2000 to January 2017 were reported. Clinical and oncological outcomes of different procedures performed in S2 tumor were analyzed to investigate the efficacy of transhiatal approach.

RESULTS

The 5-year overall survival rate (OS) was poor (32%) for all Siewert types. The most performed operations in S2 cancer were proximal gastrectomy + transthoracic esophagectomy (TTE or Ivor-Lewis procedure, 60%), total gastrectomy + transhiatal distal esophagectomy with anastomosis in the chest (THE, 24%) and total gastrectomy + transthoracic esophagectomy (TGTTE, 15%). Cardiovascular and pulmonary complications were higher after TTE. On the contrary, surgical complications were significantly higher after THE. Postoperative mortality was similar. The distribution of TNM stages was different in the 3 types of procedures: patients submitted to THE had an earlier stage disease. With this bias, OS after THE was higher than after TTE but the difference was not significant (49.85% vs 28.42%, p = 0.0587).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a higher rate of postoperative surgical complications, OS after total gastrectomy and transhiatal distal esophagectomy was at least comparable to that of transthoracic approach in less advanced S2 tumors. Therefore, THE with anastomosis in the chest could be a treatmen option in earlier S2 tumors.

Management of Early Stage Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junction Malignancies

Esophageal and gastric carcinomas are prevalent malignancies worldwide. In contrast to the poor prognosis associated with advanced stages of disease, early stage disease has a favorable prognosis. Early stage gastric cancer (ESGC) is defined as cancer in which the depth of invasion is limited to the submucosal layer of the stomach on histologic examination, regardless of lymph node status. ESGC that meets standard or expanded criteria can be treated via endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection. Similar indications for endoscopic interventions exist for gastroesophageal junction and esophageal malignancies."

Is the new distribution of early esophageal adenocarcinoma stages improving the prognostic prediction of the 8th edition of the TNM staging system for esophageal cancer?

Background

The 8^th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)/Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) staging system released in 2017 reclassified the pTNM stage of early esophageal adenocarcinoma from stage IA in the 7^th edition to stage IA and IB and from stage IB in the 7^th edition to stage IC. In this study, we analyzed the reliability of the new staging system through clinical data analysis.

Methods

We selected patient data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. From 2004 to 2014, data for a total of 714 patients were included in the study and were divided into groups representing stage IA (n=84), IB (n=386) and IC (n=244) according to the 8^th edition.

Results

In the 8^th edition, there was no significant difference between groups IA and IB in overall survival (OS) (P=0.331) or esophageal cancer-specific survival (ECSS) (P=0.341). However, the long-term survival rates of groups IA and IB were significantly higher than those of group IC. Cox regression analysis indicated that the use of new staging system does not affect prognosis. We also attempted to stratify the tumors by T stage and histological grade but found no significant difference.

Conclusions

We used the SEER database to compare the staging of early esophageal adenocarcinomas between the 8^th and 7^th editions of the AJCC/UICC TNM staging system. Based on our data, the 8^th edition is not superior to the 7^th edition.

Treatment disparities affect outcomes for patients with stage I esophageal cancer: a national cancer data base analysis

Background

To examine patterns of care and outcomes for patients with stage I esophageal cancer (EC) in the United States.

Methods

We identified patients in the National Cancer Data Base diagnosed with stage I EC from 2004 to 2012 and grouped them by primary treatment: esophagectomy (Eso), local excision (LE), concurrent chemoradiation (CRT), or observation (Obs). Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict receipt of treatments. Overall survival (OS) was estimated by Kaplan-Meier methods adjusted for inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and Cox proportional hazard regressions.

Results

Of 5,480 patients, 2,312 (42%) underwent Eso, 1,250 (23%) LE, 758 (14%) CRT, and 1,160 (21%) Obs. LE use increased over time from 17% to 29% while Obs declined from 26% to 19%. Patients least likely to undergo surgery were older, had greater comorbidity, were uninsured, were treated at non-academic centers, and were Black. The rate of surgery for Black patients was half of that for White patients (33% vs. 67%). Postoperative mortality rates were higher after Eso vs. LE at 30 days (2.9% vs. 0.5%; P<0.001) and at 90 days (5.5% vs. 1.4%, P<0.001). Five-year OS was 59% with Eso, 63% LE, 29% CRT, and 31% Obs (P<0.001). On multivariate analysis, outcomes were best after LE [vs. Eso: hazard ratio (HR) =1.15, 95% CI: 1.01-1.30, P=0.037; CRT: HR =2.41, 95% CI: 2.09-2.78, P<0.001; Obs: HR =3.79, 95% CI: 3.33-4.32, P<0.001).

Conclusions

Disparities are evident in the care of patients with stage I EC throughout the United States. LE was associated with favorable outcomes compared to Eso, CRT, and Obs.