Is surgical treatment of cancer of the gastric cardia or esophagus associated with a concurrent major pulmonary operation feasible? One center's experience.

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary complications are a major cause of mortality after operation for cancer of the gastric cardia or esophagus. Although the risk involved in gastric cardiectomy or esophagectomy associated with a concurrent major pulmonary operation is expected to be much higher, it has seldom been evaluated on the basis of clinical experience. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility and feasibility of the gastric cardiectomy or esophagectomy associated with a major pulmonary operation.

METHODS

From August 2003 to January 2011, 14 patients underwent concurrent gastric cardiectomy or esophagectomy and a major pulmonary operation in our hospital. This included eight for pulmonary invasion of esophageal carcinoma, and six for synchronous lung tumor. All patients underwent systematic lymph node dissection for cardiac or esophageal cancer. To prevent postoperative complications, the operative approach and dissection procedures for cardiac or esophageal carcinoma were modified according to the associated pulmonary operation and the extent of cancer invasion. All thoracotomies for cardiectomy or esophagectomy were performed on the same side as the major pulmonary operation.

RESULTS

All patients underwent a curative operation. There were no deaths or postoperative complications in the six synchronous lung tumor patients. In the eight pulmonary invasion patients, one patient died of respiratory failure 11 days after operation, and postoperative complications developed in four of them, but none was fatal. Six patients were still alive.

CONCLUSIONS

Curative gastric cardiectomy or esophagectomy associated with concurrent major pulmonary operation is not contraindicated in patients in good condition. In selected patients, when the operative procedures for cardiectomy or esophagectomy are appropriately modified to minimize the effect of the associated pulmonary operation, the treatment is associated with a low operative morbidity and mortality with an acceptable long-term survival.