Current Surgical Treatment Standards for Esophageal and Esophagogastric Junction Cancer

A number of different surgical techniques for the treatment of cancer of the esophagus and the esophagogastric junction have been proposed. Guidelines generally recommend a transthoracic approach for esophageal cancer, including Siewert type I tumors. In tumors of the proximal esophageal third, transthoracic esophagectomy may be extended to a three-field approach, including resection of cervical lymph nodes. However, the choice between transthoracic esophagectomy with intrathoracic anastomosis (Ivor Lewis esophagectomy) and the three-incision approach with cervical esophago-gastrostomy (McKeown esophagectomy) remains controversial, with guidelines varying among different countries. Furtherm…