Objective To investigate the application value and feasibility of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.Methods The clinical data of 304 patients with esophageal cancer who were admitted to the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from December 2013 and July 2014 were retrospectively analyzed.All the patients underwent esophagogastric partial resection, esophagogastric cervical anastomosis and 2-field lymph node dissection under general anesthesia.The management of 195 patients guided by ERAS were allocated to the ERAS group and 109 patients receiving perioperative traditional treatments were allocated to the control group.Observing indicators included : (1) enteral and parenteral nutritional support treatments;(2) nutrient indexs: levels of serum albumin (Alb) and prealbumin;(3) the recovery of gastrointestinal function: time to anal exsufflation and defecation;(4) postoperative complications and the grading according to Clavien standard;(5) duration of postoperative hospital stay and treatment expenses;(6) risk factors affecting postoperative complications by multivariate analysis;(7) independent risk factors affecting occurrence rate of postoperative complications by univariate analysis.Measurement data with normal distribution were presented as (x) ± s and analyzed using the t test.Nonnormal distribution data were analyzed by the Wilcoxon rank sum test.Comparison of repeated data was analyzed by the repeated measures ANOVA.Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact probability.The multiple linear regression analysis and Logistic regression were used to measure the multivariate analysis of continuous variables and binary variable, respectively.Results (1) During the enteral and parenteral nutritional support treatments, 11 patients with surgery-related complications in the ERAS group didn't receive oral intake at postoperative day 1,26 proceeded the intravenous rehydration at postoperative day 4 due to calorie intake less than 80％ of calorie requirement, and enteral nutritional support treatment was well-tolerated in the control group.(2) Comparison of nutrient indexs : the levels of serum Alb and prealbumin at postoperative day 1, 3 and 5 were (37.2±3.9)g/L, (39.1 ±3.5)g/L, (38.5 ±3.0)g/L and (0.20 ±0.06)g/L, (0.13 ±0.04)g/L, (0.13 ±0.04)g/L in the ERAS group, (37.7 ±2.8)g/L, (39.0 ±3.6)g/L, (38.4 ±3.8)g/L and (0.18 ± 0.06) g/L, (0.13 ± 0.04) g/L, (0.13 ± 0.04) g/L in the control group, respectively, showing no significant difference in the postoperative changing trends between the 2 groups (F =0.357, 0.453, P ＞ 0.05).(3) The recovery of gastrointestinal function : time to first anal exsufflation and first defecation were (2.1 ± 0.8) days and (3.4 ± 1.2) days in the ERAS group, (3.2 ± 0.9) days and (5.5 ± 1.5) days in the control group, respectively,showing significant differences between the 2 groups (t =-10.505,-13.174, P ＜0.05).(4) There was no death in the perioperative period.The overall incidences of postoperative complications and number of patients with severe complications were 26.15％ (51/195) and 8 in the ERAS group, 30.28％ (33/109) and 8 in the control group, with no significant difference between the 2 groups (x2=0.594, 1.469, P ＞ 0.05).Eight and 10 patients in the ERAS and control groups underwent gastrointestinal decompression, 6 and 8 patients in the ERAS and control groups underwent retreatment in the intensive care unit (ICU), 3 and 2 patients in the ERAS and control groups were readmitted to the hospital at 3 weeks after discharge, with no significant difference in the above indexes (x2=0.185, 2.892, P ＞0.05).(5)The duration of postoperative hospital stay and treatment expenses were (6.8 ±2.4)days and (25 088 ±10 336)yuan in the ERAS group, (11.1 ±3.4)days and (38 819± 14 854)yuan in the control group, showing significant differences between the 2 groups (t =-12.782,-9.452,P ＜ 0.05).(6) The age, gender, preoperative weight loss ＞ 10％, tumor staging, tumor differentiation,neoadjuvant chemotherapy and time of food intake were risk factors affecting incidence of postoperative complication in patients with esophageal cancer by the univariate analysis (x2=2.484, 2.333, 0.061, 8.553,2.459, 0.163, 3.462, P ＜ 0.05).(7) The age, preoperative weight loss ＞ 10％, tumor staging and neoadjuvant chemotherapy were independent risk factors affecting incidence of postoperative complication in patients with esophageal cancer by the multivariate analysis (OR =0.365, 10.761,0.290, 8.140, 95％ confidence interval :0.198-0.671, 4.122-28.095, 0.130-0.645, 3.946-16.791, P ＜0.05), but time of food intake was not an independent risk factor (OR =0.540, 95％ CI: 0.280-1.041, P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions ERAS in the esophageal minimally invasive surgery for esophageal cancer is safe and feasible, with the advantages of shorter recovery time of gastrointestinal function and duration of hospital stay, lower treatment expenses and a better application value compared with traditional treatment.

Objective:To compare three different routes for nutritional support after thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy. Meth-ods:The clinical data of 310 esophageal cancer patients undergoing thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy in Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2010 to October 2013 were analyzed (early oral feeding group:110, nasojejunal tube feeding group:102, and jejunostomy tube feeding group:98). The serum albumin and body weights were compared among the three groups be-fore operation and four days after operation. The postoperative recovery time of the first exhaust time and hospitalization days were al-so compared. The fistula of esophageal anastomosis, pulmonary infection, and complications from intubation such as throat inflamma-tion were also compared. Results:No postoperation mortality occurred in the three groups. In addition, no significant difference was ob-served between the nasojejunal tube group and jejunostomy group for the first exhaust time and hospitalization days. The recovery of the early oral feeding group was significantly faster than the other two groups. Postoperative acute dilatation of the stomach and func-tional delayed gastric emptying were not found in the three groups. The anastomotic leakage and pulmonary infection rate had no signif-icant difference. The throat inflammation from intubation in the nasojejunal tube feeding group was significantly more than that in the jejunostomy tube feeding group. Eleven percent of the patients removed the tube by themselves. In the jejunostomy tube feeding group, five patients suffered from postoperative fistula drainage, including one case with serious symptoms. Five patients had incomplete ileus. Conclusion:Early oral feeding is a suitable nutritional support route after thoracolapascopic esophagectomy and it is a good way to re-duce operation stress, improve patient compliance, induce fast recovery, and shorten hospitalization days.

Objective:To evaluate the value and identify the prognosic factors of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in completely resected stage Ⅲ(pN 2) lung adenocarcinoma patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) wild-type who received adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods:Clinical data of 172 patients with stage Ⅲ(pN 2) EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma who underwent radical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy from 2009 to 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy combining two drugs for>4 cycles, and divided into the PORT group and the non-PORT group. The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan- Meier method and log-rank test, and multivariate prognostic analysis was performed by Cox’s regression model. Results:Among 172 patients, the median overall survival (OS), 3-year and 5-year OS rates were 40 months, 55.9% and 28.3%, respectively. The median disease-free survival (DFS), 3-year and 5-year DFS rates were 17 months, 24.5% and 13.0%, respectively. DFS was significantly improved in the PORT group (29 months vs. 13 months, P=0.001), whereas OS did not significantly differ between two groups (51 months vs. 38 months, P=0.151). In subgroup analysis, DFS of patients with multistation N 2 or the number of N 2 metastases of≥3 or skip N 2 in the PORT group was significantly longer ( P<0.05), whereas PORT exerted no significant effect on OS ( P>0.05). Conclusions:For patients with completely resected stage Ⅲ(N 2) EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, PORT might increase DFS and have a trend toward longer OS. However, these findings remain to be validated by large sample size investigations.

Esophageal cancer is located in the 8th position of the incidence of malignant tumors and the 6th most common cause of cancer-related mortality in the world, while China has the highest incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the predominant histologic type of esophageal cancer in China, accounts for about 90%. Despite recent improvement of surgical techniques and philosophy, however, the prognosis of ESCC patients treated with surgery is still poor, and 5-year survival remains unsatisfactorily low. So far, the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is still unclear, and effective prevention is also out of the question. To find the main factors affecting the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and to improve the survival of patients, are the main directions of all scholars. Postoperative pathology of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is considered to be one of the most important predictors of prognosis. Currently, the evaluation of postoperative esophageal prognosis mainly depends on TNM staging, but some criteria of its specific content and staging remains controversial. In this paper recent domestic and foreign related researches and clinical trials reports are collected, and the postoperative pathological features affecting esophageal squamous cell carcinoma prognosis were reviewed.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility of no nasogastric intubation and early oral feeding at will after thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy for patients with esophageal cancer.

METHODSBetween January 2013 and January 2014, the feasibility of no nasogastric intubation and early oral feeding at postoperative day(POD) 1 after thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy was prospectively investigated in 156 patients (trial group) with esophageal cancer in the Henan Cancer Hospital. One hundred and sixty patients previously managed in the same unit who were treated routinely after thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy were served as control group.

RESULTSOf 156 patients of trial group, 6(3.8%) patients could not take food early as planned because of postoperative complications. The overall complication rate in trial group was 19.2%(30/156), which was 25.0%(30/160) in control group (P=0.217). The anastomotic leakage in trial group and control group was 2.6%(4/156) and 4.3%(7/160) respectively (P=0.380). Compared with control group, time to first flatus [(2.1±0.9) d vs. (3.3±1.1) d, P<0.001], bowel movement [(4.4±1.3) d vs. (6.6±1.0) d, P<0.001] and postoperative hospital stay [(8.3±3.2) d vs. (10.4±3.6) d, P<0.001] were significantly shorter in trial group.

CONCLUSIONSNo nasogastric intubation and early oral feeding postoperatively in patients with thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy is feasible and safe. This management can shorten postoperative hospital stay and fasten postoperative bowel function recovery.

Eating ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Esophagectomy ; Fasting ; Feasibility Studies ; Humans ; Intubation, Gastrointestinal ; Postoperative Complications ; Postoperative Period

Objective:To perform a prospective cohort study to identify individual susceptibility of glucocorticoid (GC) -associated osteonecrosis of the femoral head (GA-ONFH) and their clinical and genetic risk factors. Methods:The present prospective cohort study enrolled patients who received their first GC therapy between July 2015 and January 2018 at Zhongshan Hospital. All patients did not receive any GC treatment before enrollment. Further, they planned to start GC treatment with the dose (equivalent prednisone) of ≥30 mg/d, lasted ≥3 weeks, or pulse dose ≥200 mg/d, lasted ≥3 d. Blood samples were collected before GC treatment to evaluate bone metabolism and its released factors. Hip MRI was performed at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 12th and 24th month to diagnose GA-ONFH. All patients were followed-up for ≥2 years. The endpoint was regarded as diagnosis of GA-ONFH or completion of 2 years follow-up. Lasso regression was performed to determine which clinical features were associated with GA-ONFH. A nested case-control sub-cohort (A, n=12) was established prospectively based on the main cohort by 1∶1 matching. Whole exome sequencing was performed to screen differential and functional candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertion-deletions (SNP/InDels). Another sub-cohort (B, n=50) was constructed retrospectively in patients with GA-ONFH and non-ONFH patients received standard high dose GC treatment for more than two years. The candidate SNP/InDels were verified by Sanger sequencing based on the patients from sub-cohort B. Results:A total of 96 patients were enrolled of which 88 of them (32 males and 56 females, mean age 42.30 years) completed follow-up. Eight cases (9.1%) were diagnosed with GA-ONFH. The median time from the start of GC therapy to the diagnosis of ONFH was 53.00(34.00,13.50) days. The baseline characteristics, such as age, sex and body mass index, indicated no significant difference between the ONFH group and the non-ONFH group. The cumulative GC dose of the ONFH patients in the first month was higher than that of non-ONFH [32.74(29.55, 47.05) mg/kg vs. 24.00(21.10, 29.45) mg/kg, Z=-2.410, P=0.016]. However, there was no significant difference of patients who underwent pulse therapy (37.5% vs. 10.0%, adjusted χ 2=2.829, P=0.093). The ratio of serum apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A1 (ApoB/ApoA1) in patients with ONFH was higher than that in non-ONFH group before GC use [0.95(0.80, 1.50) vs. 0.70(0.60, 0.80), Z=-2.875, P=0.000]. Due to the multicollinearity, Lasso regression model was performed to reduce overfitting. All variables were included in the model. The results suggested that higher ApoB/ApoA1 ratio, lower serum β-c-terminal telopeptide (β-CTX) and higher cumulative GC dose in the first month were the top three risk factors of GA-ONFH. This model had an accuracy of 0.982 in internal validation. Seven differential candidate SNP/InDels were found by whole exome sequencing of sub-cohort A. We further verified these SNP/InDels in sub-cohort B. The patients with COLEC12 mutation (rs2305027, G1816A) were at risk of GA-ONFH ( OR=6.00, 95% CI: 1.17, 30.73). Conclusion:Higher first-month GC dose, lower serum β-CTX level before treatment, higher ApoB/ApoA1 ratio and COLEC12 mutation (rs2305027, G1816A) could increase the risk of GA-ONFH.

Objective:To analyze the clinical efficacy of different treatment modalities and prognostic factors of patients with Masaoka-Koga stage Ⅲ thymoma.Methods:Clinical data of patients diagnosed with Masaoka-Koga stage Ⅲ thymoma admitted to Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2000 to December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 133 patients had complete treatment and follow-up data. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative survival rate, log-rank method was used to compare the survival between two groups, and Cox regression model was used for multivariate analysis.Results:The median follow-up time was 50 months (3-221 months). The median overall survival (OS) was 51 (3-221) months, and the median disease-free survival (DFS) was 45 (2-221) months. The survival rate in the radical surgery group was better than that in the palliative surgery group. The 5- and 10-year OS rates in radical surgery group were 88.2% and 74.4% respectively, while in palliative surgery group were 51.8% and 32.4% respectively ( P<0.001). The 5- and 10-year DFS rates in radical surgery group were 72.2% and 45.5%, respectively, while in palliative surgery group were 32.3% and 16.1% respectively ( P=0.001). The OS in the surgery combined with radiotherapy group was better than that in the surgery alone group. The 5- and 10-year OS rates in the radical surgery group were 82.8% and 64.2% respectively, while in the palliative surgery group were 55.8% and 50.2% ( P=0.033). There was no significant difference in DFS between two groups ( P=0.176). Multivariate analysis showed that age < 50 years old ( HR=0.264, P=0.001), radical resection ( HR=0.134, P<0.001), surgery combined with radiotherapy ( HR=2.778, P=0.009) were independently associated with better OS. Age < 50 years old ( HR=0.550, P=0.046), radical resection ( HR=0.555, P=0.042), and invasion of single organ ( HR=0.111, P=0.003) were independently associated with better DFS. Conclusions:OS and DFS in patients undergoing radical surgery are significantly better than those in their counterparts treated with palliative surgery, which is the most important factor affecting prognosis. Surgery combined with radiotherapy yields better OS. It is necessary to design a rigorous and reasonable multicenter prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of various treatment modalities and prognostic factors.

OBJECTIVEWe analyzed the lymph node (MLNs) metastasis of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to explore the patterns of lymphatic spread and the rational surgical procedure and extent of lymph node dissection for ESCC.

METHODSWe retrospectively evaluated 313 consecutive patients treated in our hospital between January 2010 and May 2014 who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) for ESCC. The information of lymph node status was obtained and the features of lymph node metastasis were analyzed.

RESULTSOf the 313 cases, 122 (39.0%) were found to have lymph node metastasis. In the 4461 dissected lymph nodes, metastasis was identified in 294 (6.6%) lymph nodes. The recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes were the most frequent metastatic nodes with a metastasis rate of 25.2%, followed by the paracardiac and left gastric artery lymph nodes (18.2%). Chi-square test showed that the lymph node metastasis is associated with tumor invasion and tumor differentiation (P<0.001 for both). Metastases were more frequently found in the recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes in patients with tumors in the upper third esophagus and with histologically poor differentiation (P<0.05 for both). The metastasis rate of para-cardiac and left gastric artery lymph nodes was associated with tumor in the lower third of esophagus, T stage and differentiation (all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that tumor differentiation and location are independent factors affecting the metastasis of recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes (P<0.05 for all). T stage, tumor differentiation and location were independent factors associated with metastasis of para-cardiac and left gastric artery lymph nodes (P<0.05 for all).

CONCLUSIONS(1) Metastases of thoracic esophageal carcinoma are often found in the recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes, para-cardiac and left gastric artery lymph nodes. (2) Extensive lymph node dissection should be performed for ESCC with poor differentiation and deep tumor invasion.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; secondary ; surgery ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Esophagectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Lymphatic Vessels ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve ; Retrospective Studies