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. 2022 May 11;22(1):171.
doi: 10.1186/s12893-022-01618-8.

The impact of lymphadenectomy on lymph node recurrence after performing various treatments for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Takashi Shigeno  1 , Akihiro Hoshino  2 , Shiho Matsunaga  1 , Rumi Shimano  1 , Naoya Ishibashi  1 , Hajime Shinohara  1 , Hiroyuki Shiobara  1 , Chiharu Tomii  1 , Katsumasa Saito  1 , Naoto Fujiwara  1 , Yuya Sato  1 , Kenro Kawada  1 , Masanori Tokunaga  1 , Yusuke Kinugasa  1
Affiliations

The impact of lymphadenectomy on lymph node recurrence after performing various treatments for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Takashi Shigeno et al. BMC Surg. .

Abstract

Background: Treatment for regional lymph node recurrence after initial treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) differs among institutions. Though some retrospective cohort studies have shown that lymphadenectomy for cervical lymph node recurrence is safe and leads to long-term survival, the efficacy remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the long-term outcomes of patients who underwent lymphadenectomy for regional recurrence after treatment for ESCC.

Patients and methods: We retrieved 20 cases in which lymphadenectomy was performed for lymph node recurrence after initial treatment for ESCC in our hospital from January 2003 to December 2016. Initial treatments included esophagectomy, endoscopic resection (ER) and chemoradiotherapy/chemotherapy (CRT/CT). Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) after lymphadenectomy were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. We also used a univariate analysis with a Cox proportional hazards model to determine factors influencing the long-term outcomes.

Results: The five-year OS and RFS of patients who underwent secondary lymphadenectomy for recurrence after initial treatment were 50.0% and 26.7%, respectively. The five-year overall survival rates of patients who received esophagectomy, ER and CRT/CT as initial treatments, were 40.0%, 75.0% and 50.0%, respectively. The five-year OS rates of patients with Stage I and Stage II-IVB at initial treatments were 83.3% and 33.3%, respectively.

Conclusions: Lymphadenectomy for regional recurrence after initial treatment for ESCC is effective to some degree. Patients with regional recurrence after initial treatment for Stage I ESCC have a good prognosis; thus, lymphadenectomy should be considered for these cases.

Keywords: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; Lymph node recurrence; Lymphadenectomy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Kaplan–Meier estimates for patients who received lymphadenectomy. a Overall survival rate. b Relapse-free survival rate
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Kaplan–Meier estimates for patients who received lymphadenectomy, separated by initial treatment. a Overall survival rate. b Relapse-free survival rate. ER endoscopic resection, CT chemotherapy, CRT chemoradiotherapy
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Kaplan–Meier estimates for patients who received lymphadenectomy, separated by stage. a Overall survival rate. b Relapse-free survival rate
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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