Skeletonizing en bloc esophagectomy for cancer

Objective To evaluate the long-term outcome of patients with esophageal cancer after resection of the extraesophageal component of the neoplastic process en blo c with the esophageal tube. Summary Background Data Opinions are conflicting about the addition of extended resection of locore gional lymph nodes and soft tissue to removal of the esophageal tube. Methods Esophagectomy performed en bloc with locoregional lymph nodes and resulting in a real skeletonization of the nonresectable anatomical structures adjac ent to the esophagus was attempted in 324 patients. The esophagus was remov ed using a right thoracic (n = 208), transdiaphragmatic (n = 39), or left t horacic (n = 77) approach. Lymphadenectomy was performed in the upper abdom en and lower mediastinum in all patients, it was extended over the upper me diastinum when a right thoracic approach was used and up to the neck in 17 patients. Esophagectomy was carried out flush with the esophageal wall as s oon as it became obvious that a macroscopically complete resection was not feasible. Neoplastic processes were classified according to completeness of the resection, depth of wall penetration, and lymph node involvement. Results Skeletonizing en bloc esophagectomy was feasible in 235 of the 324 patients (73%). The 5-year survival rate, including in-hospital deaths (5%), was 35 % (324 patients); ii was 64% in the 117 patients with an intramural neoplas tic process versus 19% in the 207 patients having neoplastic tissue outside the esophageal wall or surgical margins (P < .0001). The latter 19% repres ented 12% of the whole series. The 5-year survival rate after skeletonizing en bloc esophagectomy was 49% (235 patients), 49% for squamous cell versus 47% for glandular carcinomas (P = .4599), 64% for patients with an intramu ral tumor versus 34% for those with extraesophageal neoplastic tissue (P < .0001), and 43% for patients with fewer than five metastatic nodes versus 1 1% for those with involvement of five or more lymph nodes (P = .0001). Conclusions The strategy of attempting skeletonizing en bloc esophagectomy in ail patie nts offers long-term survival to one third of the patients with resectable extraesophageal neoplastic tissues. These patients represent 12% of the pat ients with esophageal cancer suitable for esophagectomy and 19% of those ha ving neoplastic tissue outside the esophageal wail or surgical margins.