Salvage surgery for recurrent carcinoma of the cervical esophagus postesophagectomy. Issue 8 (11th July 2014) - Chow, Velda L. Y.
Abstract Background Management of cervical esophageal tumor postesophagectomy is mainly palliative because of inadequate exposure of tumor in the cervicothoracic region. In this study, we propose a means of cure for these patients. Methods Between January 2003 and June 2013, 6 patients underwent curative pharyngolaryngectomy and completion cervical esophagectomy via manubrial resection. Operative outcomes were analyzed and compared with a historical cohort who received palliative therapy. Results One patient required prolonged hospital stay for pneumonia, resulting in a median hospital stay of 30 days (range, 21–55 days). All patients resumed oral feeding at a mean of 15.2 days (range, 14–19 days). Tracheostoma stenosis was noted in 2 patients. One patient developed nodal recurrence, another with distant metastasis, resulting in a median disease‐free survival of 13 months (range, 4–20 months). Median overall survival was significantly longer than the cohort group (19.0 vs 3.0 months; p = .013). Conclusion Salvage surgery in patients with carcinoma of the cervical esophagus postesophagectomy is feasible with significantly prolonged survival. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck37: 1170–1175, 2015