• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.157-163
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• 2015

Accurate staging of esophageal cancer is very important to achieving optimal treatment outcomes. The AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) first published TNM esophageal cancer staging recommendations in the first edition of their staging manual in 1977. Thereafter, the staging of esophageal cancer was changed many times over the years. This article reviews the current status of staging of esophageal cancer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.172-177
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• 2020

Superficial esophageal neoplasms (SENs) are being diagnosed increasingly frequently due to the screening endoscopy and advances in endoscopic techniques. Endoscopic resection (ER) is a relatively noninvasive treatment method with low morbidity and mortality that provides excellent oncologic outcomes. Endoscopic submucosal dissection is associated with higher rates of en bloc, complete and curative resections and lower rates of local recurrence than endoscopic mucosal resection. The most serious complication of ER is stricture, the treatment and prevention of which are crucial to maintain the patient's quality of life. ER for SEN is feasible, effective, and safe and can be considered a first-line treatment for SENs in which it is technically feasible.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.524-527
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• 2021

Herein, we describe the case of a 20-year-old woman who presented with dysphagia of 2 months' duration associated with vomiting, moderate abdominal pain, decreased oral intake, and significant weight loss. During the past 3 years, the patient experienced intermittent mild abdominal pain with infrequent vomiting. Endoscopy at Jordan University Hospital showed a mass in the esophagus, and endoscopic biopsies were performed. The preliminary histopathological report excluded malignancy. Two days after endoscopy, the patient presented to the emergency department complaining of severely worsening pain and total dysphagia. The pain persisted despite intravenous paracetamol administration, which was concerning for esophageal perforation; therefore, an urgent surgical intervention was performed. The mass was removed surgically, along with a para-esophageal lymph node. The final histopathological results of the endoscopic and resected specimens supported the diagnosis of pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma (PMHE). This is the first case reporting esophageal involvement of PMHE.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.168-171
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• 2020

Adjuvant therapy for completely resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is less commonly applied in clinical practice than neoadjuvant therapy, but it plays a substantial role in improving survival for esophageal cancer patients. This article presents a concise review of the evidence regarding adjuvant therapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and future directions, particularly immunotherapy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.160-167
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• 2020

Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer. Neoadjuvant therapy is recommended to improve survival, based on the results of several randomized trials and meta-analyses. However, controversy remains regarding how to combine surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Moreover, in East Asia, the predominant histological type is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, which has a different epidemiology and tumor biology from esophageal or gastroesophageal junctional adenocarcinoma. As such, the management of esophageal cancer in East Asia seems to be different from that in Western countries. Thus, this article reviews the current evidence on neoadjuvant therapy and considers the optimal combinations and ongoing strategies of multimodal therapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.715-717
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• 2004

A 59-year old woman visited us for incidentally detected posterior mediastinal mass. Preoperative esophagography, esophagoscopy, esophageal ultrasound and computed tomography showed a esophageal submucosal tumor. With the diagonsis of esophageal leiomyoma, the patient underwent right side video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS): The mediastinal pleura and the esophageal muscle layers were longitudinally opened and the tumor was enucleated. Esophagography performed at 6th postoperative day revealed no esophageal mucosal bulging or leakage. The patient was discharged reveiving a soft diet on the 7th postoperative day.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.211-216
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• 2020

Esophageal fistulas may occur in an advanced stage or as a potentially life-threatening complication of treatment. They can be divided into esophageal-respiratory and esophageal-aorta fistulas. The diagnosis is confirmed with fluoroscopy using dilute barium oral contrast, followed by thin-section computed tomography, which defines the precise location and extent of the fistula. Flexible esophagoscopy and bronchoscopy are required for confirmation and anatomic assessment of the suspected fistula and provide additional information for treatment planning. Contamination is traditionally controlled by surgical exclusion, along with a jejunal feeding tube. Currently, fully covered self-expanding metal stents are the primary treatment option.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.362-366
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• 2023

The stomach has become the most commonly used site for grafts to replace the esophagus in esophageal cancer surgery because of its good blood supply and ability to enable single-reconstruction anastomosis. However, anastomotic failure is a serious complication after esophageal cancer surgery. Unlike anastomotic leakage due to local ischemia, gastric tube necrosis is a life-threatening condition with a high mortality rate. Gastric tube necrosis involves extensive ischemia due to a decreased blood supply, and an urgent operation is mandatory in most cases. Endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT) has been used for anastomotic leakage after esophageal surgery. In recent years, it has been successfully used for more extensive disease, including large esophageal perforation as an indication for reoperation. Hence, we report a case of extensive gastric tube necrosis treated by EVT after an Ivor Lewis operation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.866-869
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• 2003

Less than 2% of patients with primary esophageal cancers have synchronous primary lung cancers and many patients with these synchronous tumors are deemed ineligible for radical resection by surgeons due to the poor prognoses of both the diseases. However, we believe that carefully selected patients could benefit from one stage curative resection for these synchronous tumors. We experienced a case of synchronous double cancer of the lung and esophagus and performed bilobectomy and Ivor Lewis operation simultaneously. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the good result of one stage curative resection for these synchronous serious tumors in Korea.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.220-226
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• 2020

Esophageal cancer is a representative cancer that occur physical deterioration but, physical problems after surgery were not well reported. The purpose of this study is to report on the long thoracic neuropathy after surgery, and to identify the symptoms and effects of physical therapy after esophageal cancer surgery. This is a case of a 61-year-old man who showed winging of the scapula with long thoracic nerve injury on the results of electromyography after an esophageal cancer surgery. Physical therapy programs were implemented 8 sessions during hospitalization. The quality of life, fatigue, shoulder range of motion (ROM), numeric rating scale (NRS), 6-minute walk test, and 30-second chair stand test were assessed. The quality of life, fatigue, shoulder ROM, NRS (pain), 6-minute walk test, and 30-second chair stand test were improved. However, the esophageal-specific symptom was not different after physical therapy program. As esophageal cancer suffers from physical difficulties after surgery, physical therapy programs are thought to be helpful.