Simultaneous Integrated Boost for Mediastinal Lymph Node Recurrence After Radical Surgery of Esophageal Cancer

Objective: We reviewed the surgical outcomes of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE), especially the number of lymph nodes retrieved, for the patients with esophageal cancer to clarify the surgical benefits of MIE in patients with esophageal cancer. Material and Methods: A systematic literature search was performed, and articles that fully described the surgical results of MIE were selected. Parameters such as operative time, blood loss, the number of lymph nodes retrieved, and postoperative complications were compared among patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) in the left lateral decubitus position (MIE-LP), MIE in the prone position (MIE-PP), and open thoracic esophagectomy (OE). Results: The conversion rate from MIE to OE was very low. MIE-PP was associated with lower blood loss than OE and MIE-LP. Results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial demonstrated that pneumonia and recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis in MIE-PP significantly reduced compared with OE. Although postoperative complications were not different between MIE-PP and MIE-LP, the number of lymph nodes retrieved in MIE-PP was higher than that in MIE-LP. Conclusion: MIE-PP has potential benefits in terms of less surgical invasiveness and improvement of mediastinal lymph node dissection. A prospective randomized control trial using a large number of cases and long-term follow-up is recommended for analyses of appropriate mediastinal lymph node dissection and its impact on oncological benefit.

Download Full-text

Mapping of Cervical and Upper Mediastinal Lymph Node Recurrence for Guiding Clinical Target Delineation of Postoperative Radiotherapy in Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Frontiers in Oncology ◽

10.3389/fonc.2021.663679 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Yichun Wang ◽

Dongmei Ye ◽

Mei Kang ◽

Liyang Zhu ◽

Mingwei Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Lymph Nodes ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Mediastinal Lymph Node ◽

Postoperative Radiotherapy ◽

Vena Cava ◽

Lymph Node Recurrence

BackgroundThe lower neck and upper mediastinum are the major regions for postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC). However, there is no uniform standard regarding the delineation of nodal clinical target volume (CTVnd). This study aimed to map the recurrent lymph nodes in the cervical and upper mediastinal regions and explore a reasonable CTVnd for PORT in TESCC.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients in our hospital with first cervical and/or upper mediastinal lymph node recurrence (LNR) after upfront esophagectomy. All of these recurrent lymph nodes were plotted on template computed tomography (CT) images with reference to surrounding structures. The recurrence frequency at different stations was investigated and the anatomic distribution of recurrent lymph nodes was analyzed.ResultsA total of 119 patients with 215 recurrent lymph nodes were identified. There were 47 (39.5%) patients with cervical LNR and 102 (85.7%) patients with upper mediastinal LNR. The high-risk regions were station 101L/R, station 104L/R, station 106recL/R, station 105 and station 106pre for upper TESCC and station 104L/R, station 106recL/R, station 105, station 106pre and station 106tbL for middle and lower TESCCs. LNR in the external group of station 104L/R was not common, and LNR was not found in the narrow spaces where the trachea was in close contact with the innominate artery, aortic arch and mediastinal pleura. LNR below the level of the cephalic margin of the superior vena cava was also not common for upper TESCC.ConclusionsThe CTVnd of PORT in the cervical and upper mediastinal regions should cover station 101L/R, station 104L/R, station 106recL/R, station 105 and station 106pre for upper TESCC and station 104L/R, station 106recL/R, station 105, station 106pre and station 106tbL for middle and lower TESCCs. Based on our results, we proposed a useful atlas for guiding the delineation of CTVnd in TESCC.

Download Full-text