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Review
. 2021 May;9(10):897.
doi: 10.21037/atm-21-676.

History of esophagectomy for cancer of the esophagus and the gastroesophageal junction

Toni Lerut  1 , Ory Wiesel  2
Affiliations
Review

History of esophagectomy for cancer of the esophagus and the gastroesophageal junction

Toni Lerut et al. Ann Transl Med. 2021 May.

Abstract

The introduction of anesthesia in 1846 created unseen opportunities for surgeons. By the end of the 19th century limited esophageal resection outside the chest had already been performed and the race for successful intrathoracic esophagectomy was on. The credit for the first successful esophagectomy for an intrathoracic cancer goes to Franz Torek of New York in 1913. But it was the introduction of double lumen intubation that really boosted the number of successful esophagectomies all over the world. In the second half of the 20th century progress in surgical techniques and perioperative management resulted in a substantial reduction of postoperative mortality. Introduction of multimodality therapies has further improved long term survival. The turn of the millennium saw the development of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) improving postoperative quality of life. Undoubtly new technologies and newer drugs (e.g., immunotherapy) will further allow for refinements and more personalized targeted therapies. In this manuscript, the authors provide a deep dive into the history and development of esophageal surgery, with emphasis on the innovative pioneers that brought the field of esophageal surgery to the front line of surgery.

Keywords: Esophageal cancer; anesthesia; history; surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: Both authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm-21-676). The series “Innovations and Updates in Esophageal Surgery” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. OW served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series and serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Annals of Translational Medicine from Oct 2019 to Sep 2021. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

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