Defining low-risk lesions in early-stage esophageal adenocarcinoma

Surgical and endoscopic management of clinical T1b esophageal cancer

OBJECTIVE

Esophageal cancers that invade the submucosa (T1b) have increased risk for occult lymph node metastases. To avoid the morbidity and recovery from esophagectomy, patients with cT1bN0 tumors have been increasingly managed endoscopically. We hypothesized that tumor attributes could predict upstaging and outcome associated with surgical and endoscopic treatment. Our objective was to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of esophagectomy across different cT1bN0 tumor attributes.

METHODS

Treatment-naïve patients who underwent endoscopic management or esophagectomy for a clinical stage cT1bN0 esophageal cancer diagnosed between 2010 and 2018 in the National Cancer Database were identified. Factors associated with upstaging were assessed by logistic regression. Adjusted survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis of 528 propensity-matched pairs and accelerated time failure models, stratified across tumor attributes.

RESULTS

Overall, 1469 patients classified as cT1bN0 were identified; 926 underwent esophagectomy and 543 were managed endoscopically. In general, patients who were managed endoscopically were older (median, 71; interquartile range, 63-78; vs 66; interquartile range, 60-72; P < .0001) with smaller tumors compared with the patients who were managed with esophagectomy. Nodal upstaging was associated with lymphovascular invasion (odds ratio [OR], 6.88; confidence interval [CI], 4.39-10.77; P < .0001), poor tumor differentiation (OR, 2.77; CI, 1.30-5.88; P = .0081), and tumor size >1 cm (OR, 3.19; CI, 1.49-6.83, P = .0028). Overall survival was better among propensity-matched patients who underwent esophagectomy (5-year 68.4% vs 59.7% endoscopic, P < .001). However, accelerated time failure models suggested similar outcomes among patients with well-differentiated tumors managed surgically or endoscopically.

CONCLUSIONS

Esophagectomy was associated with improved survival for cT1bN0 esophageal cancer; however, endoscopic treatment may achieve similar survival in patients with favorable tumor attributes. Further study is warranted.

Advances in the Surgical Management of Esophageal Cancer

Radical esophagectomy with two or three-field lymphadenectomy remains the mainstay of curative treatment for localized esophageal cancer, often in combination with systemic chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. In this article, we describe notable advances in the surgical management of esophageal cancer over the past decade that have led to an improvement in both surgical and oncologic outcomes. In addition, we discuss new approaches to surgical management currently under investigation that have the potential to offer further benefits to appropriately selected patients. These incremental breakthroughs primarily include advances in endoscopic and minimally invasive techniques, perioperative management protocols, as well as the application of local therapies, including surgery, to oligometastatic disease.