Objective    To assess the efficacy of lymphadenectomy in different regions for esophageal squamous cell carcinomas located differently according to the lymph node grouping by Chinese expert consensus. Methods    The medical records of 1 061 patients (886 males and 175 females with a median age of 60 (54, 65) years with esophageal cancer from March 2011 to December 2017 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. According to the pathological report, the lymph nodes were regrouped according to the Chinese lymph nodes grouping standard of esophageal cancer. The metastasis rate of each group of lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate of metastatic patients and efficacy index (EI) were calculated. Results    The upper thoracic esophageal cancer mainly metastasized to the lymph nodes of C201-203 groups. The middle and lower thoracic tumors mainly metastasized to the lymph nodes of C205-207 groups. The lower thoracic tumor had a higher rate of metastasis to the abdominal lymph nodes. According to the metastasis rate, the mediastinal lymph nodes were divided into three regions: an upper mediastinum (C201-204), a middle mediastinum (C205-206), and a lower mediastinum (C207-209). The EIs of lymph nodes of C201-203 and C205-207 groups were higher. For patients with C201-207 groups metastasis, the 5-year survival rates ranged from 13.39% to 21.60%. For patients with positive lymph nodes in each region, tumors at different primary locations had no statistical difference in long-term survival (P>0.05). Patients with lymph nodes of C205 group in the upper thoracic tumors had lower EI and those in the middle and lower thoracic tumors had higher EIs. Conclusion    The effect of lymph node dissection in each area varies with the location of the tumor. No matter where the tumor is, it is necessary to dissect the upper mediastinal lymph nodes, especially the lymph nodes adjacent to the left and right recurrent laryngeal nerves. Group C205 should be classified into the lower mediastinal lymph nodes.

Objective    To summarize our experience of surgical resection of multiple ground-glass opacity (GGO) in recent years. Methods    Clinical data of patients who underwent one-stage resections of multiple GGO from November 2015 to May 2019 in our hospital were collected, including 13 males and 52 females at an average age of 56.0±9.4 years. The clinical effects and pathological types of GGO were evaluated. Results    Time interval from first discovery to surgery was 8-1 447 (236.5±362.4) days. There were 48 patients with unilateral surgery and 17 patients with bilateral surgery during the same period. Except for 2 patients who underwent open thoracotomy due to total thoracic adhesions, other patients underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The mean postoperative hospital stay was 12.2±4.3 days. No severe perioperative complication or death occurred. A total of 156 GGO lesions were resected, 80 lesions were pure GGO, including 58 (72.5%) malignant lesions and 22 (27.5%) benign lesions, with an average diameter of 7.7±3.3 mm and 5.5±2.6 mm, respectively. Another 76 lesions were mixed GGO, including 69 (90.8%) malignant lesions and 7 (9.2%) benign lesions, with an average diameter of 13.6±6.6 mm and 7.7±3.5 mm, respectively. Conclusion    Patients with multiple GGO should be treated with anti-inflammatory therapy firstly. When conservative treatment is ineffective and no benign outcomes are observed, surgical treatment should be considered. And when lung function is sufficient for patients to underwent surgeries, the simultaneous unilateral or bilateral thoracoscopic resection is suggested, and the sublobar resection or lobectomy methods can be adopted flexibly according to the clinical features of the lesion and the rapid pathological results, which will not increase the risk of postoperative complications. Otherwise, surgical resection should be given priority for pure GGO lesions with a diameter > 7.7 mm and mixed GGO lesions.