Outcomes of Right Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy Combined with Laparotomy: a Preliminary Vietnamese Study

Esophageal cancer is the fourth-most-common cancerous disease of the gastrointestinal tract, with increasing incidence rates. The present study aimed to assess the outcomes of right thoracoscopic esophagectomy combined with laparotomy for esophageal cancer treatment in Vietnamese patients. A cross-sectional study of 71 patients was conducted at 108 Military Central Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam, from January 2010 to December 2017. Right thoracoscopic esophagectomy combined with laparotomy was performed in 71 patients with esophageal cancer. The mean patient age was 55.8 years, and 100% were male. Patients were diagnosed with the following cancer stages: Stage 0: 4.2%; Stage I: 14.1%; Stage II: 59.2%; and Stage III: 22.5%. The lymph node metastasis rate was 33.8%. The overall complication rate was 42.3%, which included a pneumonia rate of 12.3%, a respiratory failure rate of 7.0%, an anastomotic leak rate of 11.3%, and a chylothorax rate of 4.2%. The mean postoperative time was 16.4 days. The mean follow-up time was 21.7 months. The median overall survival was 45.7 months. The 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 4-year survival rates were 79.7%, 62.3%, 52.3%, and 43.6%, respectively. Thoracoscopic esophagectomy combined with laparotomy for esophageal cancer was a safe, effective, and minimally invasive procedure that should play a continued role in cancer treatment.