Esophagectomy remains the primary treatment for esophageal cancer, aiming to remove the primary tumor and the regional lymph node metastases in the celiac and mediastinal compartment.
1 Thoracic duct ligation has long been considered useful to lessen the risk of postoperative chylothorax.
2 More recently, thoracic duct resection (TDR) during esophageal resection has been proposed as an adjunct to standard thoracic lymphadenectomy to remove station No. 112 glands, thus possibly reducing the risk of locoregional tumor relapse.
3 However, because of its impact on immunoregulation, other authors have expressed concerns regarding the risk of transient postoperative immunodepression and possible detrimental impact on long-term survival.
2,4 …
