Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy

Dmitry Oleynikov M.D.Associate Professor of Surgery

Joseph and Richard Still Faculty Fellow in MedicineDirector of Minimally Invasive And

Computer Assisted Surgery

University Of Nebraska School Of Medicine

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

1940 1970 1998 2001

adeno CA

squam CA

total cases

Esophageal Cancer

Staging / determining resectability:

• Laparoscopic/ thoracoscopic staging is accurate– 94% correlation with operative pathology*

• It is the best method, short of laparotomy, to determine resectability– 30% (6/20) positive nodes in imaging negative

patients*

* Krasna; 1995, 1998

Node dissection

Endoscopic diagnosisBarretts adeno CA

EUS + PET/CT

Stage I Stage II Stage IIIA Stage IIIB Stage IV and Barretts HGD

Chemo/rador

palliation

IntraoperativeStaging/

Laparoscopic resection

Laparoscopic stagingU/S, node dissection,Left gastric divisionFeeding jejunostomy

Stage II, IIIA Stage IIIA, IIIB

StageIV

Laparoscopic Or

Open resection

NeoadjuvantChemo/radiation

Endoscopic esophagectomy: which approach?

• Totally Endoscopic techniques:

– laparoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy (DePaula, Swanstrom, Sadanaga, Jagot, Yahata)

–Laparoscopic/thoracoscopic technique (Cuscieri, Luketich, Dellemagne, Watson)

Survival after open esophagectomy

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1st Yr 2nd Yr 3d Yr 4th Y 5th YR

Stage IStage IIStage IIIStage IV

Background:esophagectomy patients

• Perioperative complications in 58% *• Perioperative mortality is 4% *• Ave length of hospital stay 13.7 days**• 31% of patients require post hospital care**

* Finley, AM J Surg, 1995

** OR state tumor registry, 1998

Expected advantages:

• Accurate staging• Minimally invasive determination of

resectability• Decreased tissue trauma

– less pain– less pulmonary compromise

• Decreased need for critical care / hospital care

® A more rapid return to normal life

Theoretical advantages:

• Better node dissection• Less tumor manipulation• Preservation of host immune response

– lower blood loss– quicker enteral feedings– less inflammatory mediator release

• Quicker application of adjuvant therapy• Psychological impact

Alternative Therapies:

• Chemo / radiation• Photoablation• Cryotherapy• Endoscopic Mucosal Stripping• Full thickness endoscopic resection• Laparoscopic / thoracoscopic

esophagectomy

Survival after open esophagectomy

“Results of 100 radical en bloc resections for adenocarcinoma” Hagen JA et al. Ann Surg 2001

• A radical lymphadnectomy was used on a series of resectable cancer pts

• 5 year survival = 54%• Local recurrence rate <8%

*68% major morbidity

Benefit of Laparoscopy / Thoracoscopy

• General– Less pain– Shorter LOS/recovery– Better view

• Benign disease– Increasing volumes of end stage disease– Increasing comfort and reliance on MI

approaches– Lower morbidity / mortality

Benefit of Laparoscopy / Thoracoscopy

Cancer• Best staging• Better residual QOL• Less frightening to patient and

their physicians• Earlier start to adjuvant therapy

and nutrition• Decreased immunosuppression

– Improved cure rates

Staging / Determining Resectability:

• Laparoscopic/ thoracoscopic staging is accurate– 94% correlation with operative pathology*

• It is the best method, short of laparotomy, to determine resectability– 30% (6/20) positive nodes in imaging negative

patients*

* Krasna; 1995, 1998.

Transhiatal Esophagectomy

• No need to reposition• Easier anesthesia• Faster?

Ports

Mediastinal Dissection

Antireflux Mechanism

Postoperative Care:

• To surgery floor• Gastrografin swallow

POD 2• Tube feeds POD2• D/C abd drain POD3• Pureed diet POD 3• Remove neck drain

when goes home

Review of outcomes for Minimally Invasive osophagectomy

This study evaluated 104 MIS for malignant and benign esophageal diseases between 1998 – 2007

• 3 patients required conversion to laparotomy, median ICU & hospital stays were 2 & 8 days respectively.• Major complications in 12.5% pts. And minor

complications in 15.4%pts.• Incidence of leak was 9.6% and anastomotic

stricture was 26%. • 30 day mortality was 1.9% and in hospital mortality

2.9% Nguyen 2008

Endoscopic therapies in T1 oesphageal cancers

• Osophagectomy is the standard treatment for T1 oesophageal cancers with good long term results• Many patients with T1 OC have several risk factors

that preclude treatment with endoscopic therapy• Many prospective studies needed to evaluate

endoscopic therapies until then esophagectomy should remain the standard treatment in patients with T1 EC.

Pennathur A 2009

Open versus minimally invasive esophagectomy: a single-center case

controlled study

• Case controlled pair-matched study conducted comparing 62 patients who had undergone either minimally invasive (MIE) or open esophagectomy (OE) between 2004 and 2007• Surgical morbidity, transfusion rate and the rate

of post operative respiratory complications were significantly lower in the MIE group• The ICU and hospital stay were also

significantly lower in the MIE group.

Schoppmann SF 2010

Conclusion:• Open esophagectomy with en bloc lymphadnectomy may

provide the best surgical cure rate for resectable esophageal cancer

• This can be replicated by the thoracoscopic / laparoscopic approach

• Laparoscopic esophagectomy offers theoretical potential for improved outcomes, possibly even improved survival for esophageal cancer patients and is an excellent technique for benign disease

• Currently, the technical difficulty of laparoscopic esophagectomy make it unlikely to be widely applied outside of regional laparoscopic referral centers.