title: The Effect of Neoadjuvant Therapy on Early Complications of Esophageal Cancer Surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is required in esophageal cancer due to its invasive nature. The aim of this study was to evaluate early post-esophagectomy complications in patients with esophageal cancer who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACR).
  
  
  METHODS
  This randomized clinical trial was carried out between 2009 and 2011. Patients with lower-third esophageal cancer were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group consisted of 50 patients receiving standard chemoradiotherapy (Group A) and then undergoing surgery, and the second group consisted of 50 patients undergoing surgery only (Group B). Patients were evaluated with respect to age, gender, clinical symptoms, type of pathology, time of surgery, perioperative blood loss, and number of lymph nodes resected as well as early post-operative complicate including leakage at the anastomosis site, chylothorax and pulmonary complications, hospitalization period, and mortality rate within the first 30 days after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients was 55 years. Seventy-two patients had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 28 patients had adenocarcinoma (ACC). There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to age, gender, time of surgery, complications including anastomotic leakage, chylothorax, pulmonary complications, cardiac complications, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), or mortality. However, there was a significant difference between the two groups regarding hospital stay, time of surgery, perioperative blood loss, and number of lymph nodes resected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of NACR did not increase early post-operative complications or mortality among patients with esophageal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Endoscopic & Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center, Ghaem Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammadtaghi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rajabi Mashhadi
authors.affiliation: Cardio-Thoracic Surgery & Transplant Research Center, Emam Reza Hospital , Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bagheri
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdollahi
authors.affiliation: Endoscopic & Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center, Ghaem Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Javad
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ghamari
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy & oncology, Ghaem Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Soudabeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shahidsales
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salehi
authors.affiliation: Endoscopic & Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center, Ghaem Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shahkaram
authors.affiliation: Sinus and Surgical Endoscopic Research Center, Ghaem Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohamad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Majidi
authors.affiliation: Cardio-Thoracic Surgery & Transplant Research Center, Emam Reza Hospital , Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Shima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sheibani
keywords: Esophageal Cancer; Neoadjuvant Therapy; Surgery