title: Transthoracically or transabdominally: how to approach adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and cardia. A meta-analysis.
abstract: Esophageal carcinoma is the eighth most frequent cancer worldwide and the sixth cancer-related cause of death. Here we propose a new meta-analysis to identify the most appropriate approach for resectable adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and cardia (Siewert 1-2). A systematic literature search was performed independently by 2 of the manuscript's authors using PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and the Cochrane Library Central. The following criteria were set for inclusion in this meta-analysis: 1) studies comparing transthoracic esophagectomy and transhiatal esophagectomy for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus; 2) studies reporting at least 1 perioperative outcome; and 3) if more than 1 study was reported by the same institute, only the most recent or the highest quality study was included. A total of 6 articles dated between 1996 and 2012 fulfilled the selection criteria and were therefore included in this meta-analysis; this pool of articles consisted of 2 prospective and 4 retrospective studies. A statistically significant difference favoring the transthoracic procedure was noted regarding the number of retrieved lymph nodes, 5-year disease-free survival rate and 5-year overall survival rate (p = 0.001, p = 0.05 and p = 0.03, respectively). In conclusion, transthoracic esophagectomy for adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and esophagogastric junction (Siewert 1-2) appears to be superior to the transhiatal approach in terms of oncological outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aurello
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Magistri
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Giammauro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Niccolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Petrucciani
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sirimarco
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Antolino
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nigri
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Angelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramacciato
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D004943:Esophagogastric Junction / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D017594:Publication Bias; D016896:Treatment Outcome