Is laparoscope surgery feasible for upper gastrointestinal cancer patients with a history of abdominal surgery?

Objective

To investigate the feasibility of laparoscopic abdominal mobilization in patients with cancers of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction who have a history of abdominal surgery.

Methods

A total of 132 patients who underwent resection for cancers of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction from August 2018 to March 2022 in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, were selected (66 patients with a history of abdominal surgery (observation group) and 66 patients without a history of abdominal surgery (control group)). All patients were treated with preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, based on the clinical stage. Thoracoscopic and laparoscopic resection was performed under general anesthesia. The intraoperative and postoperative conditions and surgical complications were compared between the two groups.

Results

No significant differences were found in baseline data between the observation group and the control group (p > 0.05). Laparoscopic abdominal mobilization was completed in both groups, and there were no significant differences between the two groups in the total operation time [(272.50 ± 86.45) min vs. (257.55 ± 67.96) min], abdominal mobilization time [(25.03 ± 9.82) min vs. (22.53 ± 3.88) min], blood loss [(119.09 ± 72.17) ml vs. (104.39 ± 43.82) ml], and postoperative time to first flatus [(3.44 ± 0.73) d vs. (3.29 ± 0.60) d] (p > 0.05). The abdominal mobilization time was longer in observation group than that in control group (p = 0.057). After excluding the patients (31/66) with a history of simple appendectomy from the observation group, the abdominal mobilization time was significantly longer in observation group than that in control group [(27.97 ± 12.16) min vs. (22.53 ± 3.88) min] (p < 0.05). There were significantly fewer dissected abdominal lymph nodes in the observation group than in the control group [(18.44 ± 10.87) vs. (23.09 ± 10.95), p < 0.05]. After excluding the patients (15/66) with a history of abdominal tumor surgery from the observation group, there was no significant difference in the number of dissected abdominal lymph nodes between the two groups [(20.62 ± 10.81) vs. (23.09 ± 10.95)] (p > 0.05).In addition, no postoperative complications, such as intestinal obstruction, abdominal infection and bleeding, occurred in either group.

Conclusion

Patients with cancers of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction who have a history of abdominal surgery are suitable for minimally invasive laparoscopic mobilization.

Myofibroblastic tumor of the esophagus - a case report of long-term follow-up and literature review

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm with intermediate malignant potential. Although most often seen in the lungs, it can occur at multiple anatomical locations, including the gastrointestinal tract. An esophageal lesion is extremely rare, however. IMTs present most commonly in children and young adults. The main therapeutic approach is surgical resection.

CASE REPORT

We report on the follow-up of a case in a 13-year-old boy with IMT in the esophagus. He underwent surgical resection in 2013 and is free of disease to date.

CONCLUSION

Surgical resection is the most preferred therapy. If the resection is complete, the risk of recurrence is low. Nevertheless, every patient should be carefully followed up after the resection.

Iatrogenic thoracic aortic injury in esophagectomy - a case report and literature review

INTRODUCTION

This case report describes bleeding from an iatrogenic thoracic aortic injury in minimally invasive thoracoscopic esophagectomy.

CASE REPORT

A 53-year-old man underwent neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus with positive lymph nodes. PET/CT showed only a partial response after neoadjuvant therapy. Minimally invasive thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the semi-prone position with selective intubation of the left lung was performed. However, massive bleeding from the thoracic aorta during separation of the tumor resulted in conversion from minimally invasive to conventional right thoracotomy. The bleeding was caused by a five millimeter rupture of the thoracic aorta. The thoracic aortic rupture was treated by suture with a gore prosthesis in collaboration with a vascular surgeon. Esophagestomy was not completed due to hypovolemic shock. Hybrid transhiatal esophagectomy was performed on the seventh day after the primary operation. Definitive histological examination showed T3N3M0 adenocarcinoma.

CONCLUSION

Esophagectomy for cancer of the esophagus is one of the most difficult operations in general surgery in which surgical bleeding from the surrounding structures cannot be excluded. Aortic hemorrhage is hemodynamically significant in all cases and requires urgent surgical treatment.

Smoking and the risk of upper aero digestive tract cancers for men and women in the Asia-Pacific region

Although smoking is an established causal factor for upper aero digestive tract cancer (UADTC), most of the evidence originates from the West. Thus, we analysed data from 455,409 subjects in the Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration. Over a median of around six years follow-up, 371 deaths from UADTC were observed. The hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for current smokers, compared with those who had never smoked, was 2.36 (1.76 – 3.16), adjusted for age and alcohol drinking. Tobacco control policies are urgently required in Asia to prevent millions of deaths from UADTC that smoking will otherwise cause.