Real-world evidence on minimally invasive and open esophagectomy

A group led by Prof. Ke Yang of Peking University Cancer Hospital released real-world evidence evaluating outcomes of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) compared with open esophagectomy (OE) in localized esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. The study, titled "Minimally Invasive or Open Esophagectomy for Treatment of Resectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma? Answer from a Real-World Multicenter Study," appeared online on November 11 in Annals of Surgery.

The multi-site study adopted a real-world cohort design, and conducted a 10-year follow-up in nearly 6000 ESCC patients recruited from two typical high-volume centers in southern and northern China who had undergone either MIE or OE. By analyzing long-term and short-term indicators such as overall survival, postoperative complications and 30/90-day mortality, the study offered high-level evidence on the efficacy and safety of MIE compared with OE in treating ESCC patients.

In addition, the study suggested that MIE could be used as a preferred procedure even for large ESCC tumors (≥ 6 cm). This finding may expand the indicated population for MIE and facilitate the updating of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines.