title: Dissection of lymph node metastases in esophageal cancer.
abstract: There has been much recent debate regarding the best surgical procedure to treat esophageal cancer, in particular with regard to the optimum extent of lymphadenectomy to improve survival while minimizing morbidity. No results obtained by prospective, randomized studies on the comparison of radical esophagectomy and extended lymphadenectomy with limited or less invasive resections following neoadjuvant therapy with regard to perioperative morbidity and prognosis are available to date. Until now, there has been no evidence suggesting the usefulness of sentinel lymph node navigation in esophageal cancers, regardless of the cell type. Furthermore, the question as to the benefits and risks of two-field and three-field lymphadenectomy in esophageal cancer has not yet been conclusively answered. This article will discuss the recent status of lymph node-dissection procedures stage-dependently according to the two different tumor entities and with regard to minimally invasive esophagectomy, including the novel 2010 Tumor, Node, Metastasis-staging system.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Johannes Gutenberg-University Hospital, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany. gockel@ach.klinik.uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gockel
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sgourakis
authors.forename: Orestis
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lyros
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Hauke
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lang
mesh_terms: D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic