MINIMALLY INVASIVE APPROACHES IN ESOPHAGEAL CANCER SURGERY

Abstract

Background: Esophageal cancer continues to present a worldwide health problem because squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma incidence rates have been increasing globally. Medical professionals base treatment decisions on surgical resection methods whereas open procedures cause important risks throughout the patient's recovery period. The development of laparoscopic thoracoscopic robotic-assisted esophagectomy represents cutting-edge procedures which improve patient results through minimized complications combined with reduced hospital durations as well as accelerated recovery times. Specialized healthcare institutions now use these techniques at greater rates due to recent enhancements which warrant sustained assessments on their safety performance relative to conventional open procedures.

Objectives: The goal of this evaluation explores the performance of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) versus open esophagectomy to analyze post-operative complications and hospital stay duration and oncological benefits to determine MIE's impact on survival rates and general well-being of patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

Study design: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Place and duration of study. Department of Surgery QHAMC, Nowshera Medical college ,Nowshera from july 2021 to Dec 2021

Methods: A total of 200 patients who received esophagectomy treatment for esophageal cancer were included in this research and they underwent either minimally invasive or open surgical procedures. The patient selection process started with limited esophageal cancer patients who did not show metastatic signs. The data collection process included demographic information in addition to perioperative variables and post-surgical complications. All statistical determinations were conducted using appropriate tests for significance while a p-value smaller than 0.05 indicated statistical significance. The researchers calculated the mean values together with standard deviation to determine demographic distribution inequalities between study groups.

Results: The study included an assessment of 200 patients as part of its research. The participants in this study had an average age of 62.5 years with age distribution measured at 8.3 years. Post-operative complications reduced and hospital stay shortened statistically in patients who received the minimally invasive approach rather than the traditional open approach (p=0.03 / p=0.01). The incidence of pulmonary infections reduced in patients who underwent MIE surgery which produced statistical significance (p=0.02). Additionally the MIE approach cut the average hospital stay duration by 3.5 days. The number of lymph nodes retrieved as well as margin clearance metrics produced equivalent results between both treatment groups (p=0.07). Quality-of-life scores in patients undergoing MIE proved superior than open surgery results (p=0.04) even though the one-year survival rates remained similar (p=0.12). The results demonstrate that minimally invasive esophagectomy maintains safety measures along with effectiveness for esophageal cancer treatment.

Conclusion: Esophageal cancer surgery based on minimally invasive approaches leads to reduced complications after operations and shorter hospital stays with identical oncologic results. Specialized facilities now routinely utilize these techniques although providing initial challenges to learn for new practitioners. Multi-center studies and long-term follow-up need to be intensified to confirm the exact survival and recurrence rate advantages.