ASO Author Reflections: Superior Postoperative Outcomes from Completely Minimally Invasive Approach Versus Hybrid Approach to Esophagectomy for Esophageal and Gastro-Esophageal Junctional Cancer

Excerpt

Minimally invasive approaches to esophagectomy have steadily gained popularity as experience has increased along with advances in surgical techniques and technology. The TIME and MIRO multi-centre randomised controlled trials reported a significant reduction in pulmonary infection complications and quicker recovery following completely minimally invasive esophagectomy (CMIE) and hybrid esophagectomy (HE), respectively, when compared with the traditional open approach.1,2 Few studies exist in the current literature comparing intraoperative and postoperative outcomes following CMIE versus HE. This study aimed to ascertain whether adopting a CMIE approach over an HE approach in the operative treatment of esophageal and gastro-esophageal junctional (GEJ) cancer yielded a reduction in morbidity, particularly pulmonary infection complications, without compromising oncological resection as well as overall and disease-free survival.3 …