[A case of mediastinoscope-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy for thoracic esophageal cancer after radical operation for lung cancer].

We herein report a case of thoracic esophageal cancer operated on by mediastinoscope-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy after a right upper lobectomy for primary lung cancer. A 70-year-old male with non-small-cell lung cancer (T4N2M0, cStage III B) underwent chemo-radiation therapy followed by an upper lobectomy of the right lung with mediastinal lymph node dissection. The lung cancer histologically showed complete remission (CR), and no recurrence has been shown. Five years after the operation of lung cancer, esophageal cancer (T3N0M0, cStage II) was endoscopically detected in this patient. Partial remission was obtained after neoadjuvant FP chemotherapy for esophageal cancer. Therefore, mediastinoscope-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy was performed in consideration of a history of a right thoracotomy and of pulmonary dysfunction. Preventive tracheostomy was performed because of recurrent nerve paralysis, but no other severe postoperative complication has developed in this case. Histopathological findings showed a well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (pT3 (Ad), pN0, M0, pStage II), with involvement at resection margin. He was alive for 11 months after the operation for esophageal cancer, although a local recurrence was observed. There are still many problems remained of the treatment for esophageal cancer patients who had previously undergone a radical operation for lung cancer. However, mediastinoscope-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy may become a procedure for surgical approach if it seems to be difficult to approach the esophageal cancer by thoracotomy again.