Application progress of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Esophageal cancer is an aggressive malignancy with high morbidity and poor prognosis. Symptoms of early esophageal cancer are insidious and difficult to detect, while advanced esophageal obstruction, lesion infiltration and metastasis seriously affect patients’ quality of life. Early detection and treatment can help to increase the survival chance of patients. Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has shown remarkable success in diagnosis of esophageal cancer, highlighting the great potential of new AI-assisted diagnostic modalities. This paper aims to review recent progress of AI in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer and to prospect its clinical application.

Interpretation of the updates of the NCCN esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancers clinical practice guidelines in oncology (version 3. 2023) / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Esophageal cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide. On August 29, 2023, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) released the NCCN esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancers clinical practice guidelines in oncology (version 3. 2023). This article aims to highlight the key updates in treatment and follow-up recommendations between the version 3 and the version 2 in 2023, providing the latest guidance for the management of esophageal cancer in our country.

Chinese Medicine Regulates Signaling Pathways Related to Esophageal Cancer： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Esophageal cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract. At present， the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer has not been fully clarified. Although surgery， radiotherapy， chemotherapy， targeted therapy， and immunotherapy have achieved good clinical results in the treatment of esophageal cancer， there are still many complications and severe adverse reactions. As an important part of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， in recent years， many basic experiments and clinical studies have proved that Chinese medicine has a good effect in treating esophageal cancer. At the same time， the multi-component and multi-target characteristics of Chinese medicine and unclear pathogenesis of esophageal cancer determine that there are some problems such as unclear mechanisms of Chinese medicine in preventing and treating esophageal cancer. It is necessary to start with modern medicine and reveal the mechanism of Chinese medicine in preventing and treating diseases from the aspects of molecular biology and network pharmacology. It is believed in TCM that the occurrence of esophageal cancer is mostly attributed to stagnation of liver Qi， phlegm stasis and Qi stagnation， fluid consumption and heat accumulation， the decline of healthy Qi， and the cementation of cancer toxicity. According to the literature review， Chinese medicinal compounds mainly include tonic formulae （such as Liu Junzitang）， drying and moistening formulas （such as Qigesan）， and heat-clearing formulas （such as Fufang Kushen injection）. Chinese medicinal monomers mainly include drugs potent in attacking poison and killing insects， clearing heat， activating blood and resolving stasis， and regulating Qi， which is consistent with the etiology and pathogenesis of esophageal cancer in TCM. It is also found that Chinese medicine can promote cell apoptosis and autophagy， block cell cycle， and reverse cell resistance by regulating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt）， neurogenic locus notch homolog protein （Notch）， Wnt/β-catenin， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （JAK2/STAT3）， and other related signaling pathways， but there is no systematic summary. This study systematically summarized the relevant signaling pathways of Chinese medicine in regulating esophageal cancer， which is helpful to clarify the relevant mechanisms of Chinese medicine in the process of esophageal cancer occurrence， development， invasion， and metastasis， so as to provide new targets and new perspectives for the treatment of esophageal cancer and promote the modernization of TCM.

Role of NF-κB Signaling Pathway in "Reflux Esophagitis-esophageal Cancer" and Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention：A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Reflux esophagitis is an inflammatory disease of esophageal mucosa damage caused by the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. Its incidence is on the rise， and it has become an important precancerous disease of esophageal cancer. Studies have shown that the continuous inflammatory response stimulates the esophageal mucosa， causing abnormal proliferation of esophageal epithelial cells and damage to esophageal mucosal tissue， which eventually leads to the occurrence of heterogeneous hyperplasia and even carcinogenesis. The nuclear transcription factor-kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathway is one of the most classical inflammatory and cancer signaling pathways. It has been found that abnormal activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway is crucial to the development and prognosis of reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer. It is widely involved in the proliferation， autophagy， apoptosis， and inflammatory response of esophageal epithelial cells and tumor cells， accelerating the transformation of reflux esophagitis to esophageal cancer and making it a potential target for the treatment of reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer. Currently， there is no specific treatment for reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer， and large side effects often appear. Therefore， finding a promising and safe drug remains a top priority. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine scholars have conducted a lot of research on NF-κB signaling pathway， and the results indicate that NF-κB signaling pathway is an important potential target for traditional Chinese medicine to prevent and treat reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer， but there is a lack of comprehensive and systematic elaboration. Therefore， this paper summarized the relevant studies in recent years， analyzed the relationship among NF-κB signaling pathway， reflux esophagitis， esophageal cancer， and transformation from inflammation to cancer， and reviewed the research literature on the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in traditional Chinese medicine to prevent and treat reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer， so as to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of reflux esophagitis and esophageal cancer.

Self-expanding Metal Stents in Malignant Obstruction of the Esophagus: A 25-Year Multicentric Study

Background: Self-expanding metal prostheses improve dysphagia in patients with incurable esophageal cancer (EC). New stents have been introduced, and chemoradiotherapy has been implemented for EC, changing patients' risk profiles. It is unknown whether this has affected palliation with stents. Patients and methods: Retrospective study in three centers in Medellín-Colombia; patients undergoing placement of palliative esophageal prostheses for malignant dysphagia (1997-2022). Major and minor complications after implantation, the influence of oncological therapies, and survival were evaluated for 1997-2009 (n = 289) and 2010-2022 (n = 318). Results: 607 patients underwent esophageal prostheses; 296 (48.8%) became complicated. It was higher in the second period (52.5% vs. 48.1%), as were major complications (20.8% vs. 14.2%, p = 0.033), with no differences in minor complications (33.9% vs 31.8%, p = 0.765). Also, 190 (31.3%) patients presented with recurrent dysphagia, stable in both periods. Migration increased over time (from 13.1% to 18.2%, p = 0.09). The most common minor adverse event was pain, increasing over time (from 24.9% to 33.95%, p < 0.01), and associated factors were chemoradiotherapy, absence of fistula, and squamous cell carcinoma. Acid reflux decreased in the second group (p = 0.038). Twelve percent of patients required another intervention for feeding. Survival was not impacted by time and use of stents. Conclusions: Stents are an alternative in non-surgical malignant dysphagia, although recurrent dysphagia has not decreased over time. Minor stent-related complications are increasing in association with the implementation of chemoradiotherapy.

Antecedentes: Las prótesis metálicas autoexpandibles mejoran la disfagia en pacientes con cáncer esofágico (CE) incurable. En las últimas décadas se han introducido nuevos tipos de stents y se ha implementado la quimiorradioterapia para el CE, generando cambios en los perfiles de riesgo de los pacientes. Se desconoce si estos cambios han afectado la paliación con stents. Pacientes y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo en tres centros de Medellín-Colombia; pacientes sometidos a colocación de prótesis esofágicas paliativas para disfagia maligna (1997-2022). Se evaluaron en dos períodos: 1997-2009 (n = 289) y 2010-2022 (n = 318), complicaciones mayores y menores después del implante, la influencia de las terapias oncológicas y la sobrevida. Resultados: Se evaluaron 607 pacientes sometidos a prótesis esofágicas. 296 (48,8%) se complicaron, y fue mayor en el segundo periodo (52,5% frente a 48,1%), al igual que las complicaciones mayores (20,8% frente a 14,2%, p = 0,033), sin diferencias en complicaciones menores (33,9% frente a 31,8%, p = 0,765). 190 (31,3%) pacientes presentaron disfagia recurrente, estable en ambos períodos. La migración aumentó con el tiempo (de 13,1% a 18,2%, p = 0,09). El evento adverso menor más frecuente fue dolor, que aumentó con el tiempo (de 24,9% a 33,95%, p < 0,01), y los factores asociados fueron quimiorradioterapia, ausencia de fístula y carcinoma de células escamosas. El reflujo ácido disminuyó en el segundo grupo (p = 0,038). El 12% de pacientes requirieron otra intervención para alimentarse. No se impactó la sobrevida con el tiempo y uso de stents. Conclusiones: Los stents son una alternativa en la disfagia maligna no quirúrgica, aunque la disfagia recurrente no ha disminuido con el tiempo. Las complicaciones menores relacionadas con el stent van en aumento, asociadas a la implementación de la quimiorradioterapia.

Morbilidad y mortalidad de pacientes operados de cáncer de esófago / Morbidity and Mortality of Patients Operated on for Esophageal Cancer

Introducción: El tratamiento principal del cáncer esofágico es la esofagectomía. Objetivo: Determinar la morbilidad y mortalidad de los pacientes operados de cáncer esofágico. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal en 87 pacientes operados de cáncer esofágico en el Servicio de Cirugía General del Hospital Provincial Docente Saturnino Lora de Santiago de Cuba durante el período comprendido de 2014 a 2018. Resultados: Dos pacientes en estadio II (100,0 por ciento) recibieron tratamiento quirúrgico curativo y 12 en estadio III (17,9 por ciento). Recibieron tratamiento quirúrgico paliativo 55 (82,1 por ciento) enfermos en estadio III y 18 (100,0 por ciento) en estadio IV. Predominó la técnica transhiatal de Denk-Sloan-Orringer aplicada en 10 (71,4 por ciento) pacientes. La gastrostomía predominó como proceder paliativo para alimentación en 53 (76,2 por ciento) pacientes. Se reportaron 45 complicaciones; el 53,3 por ciento de tipo médica, en las que prevalecieron las respiratorias: bronconeumonía (13,3 por ciento) y distrés respiratorio (11,1 por ciento). En cambio, el 46,7 por ciento de las complicaciones fueron de tipo quirúrgicas: infección del sitio operatorio (20,0 por ciento), seguida de la fuga anastomótica (15,6 por ciento). Fallecieron 16 (18,4 por ciento) pacientes del total de la serie. Las causas de muerte predominantes fueron el distrés respiratorio (31,3 por ciento) y la disfunción múltiple de órganos (25,0 por ciento). Conclusiones: La esofagectomía abierta o mínimamente invasiva se erige como el tratamiento quirúrgico de elección para el tratamiento del cáncer esofágico con intención curativa, proceder con elevada morbilidad y mortalidad a escala mundial. Los resultados de esta investigación coinciden con los reportados en la literatura médica nacional y extranjera(AU)

Introduction: The main treatment for esophageal cancer is esophagectomy. Objective: To determine the morbidity and mortality of patients operated on for esophageal cancer. Methods: An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out with 87 patients operated on for esophageal cancer in the general surgery service of Hospital Provincial Docente Saturnino Lora, of Santiago de Cuba, during the period from 2014 to 2018. Results: Curative surgical treatment was received by 2 patients (100.0 percent) in stage II and 12 patients (17.9 percent) in stage III. Palliative surgical treatment was received by 55 ill patients (82.1 percent) in stage III and 18 ill patients (100.0 percent) in stage IV. There was a predominance of the Denk-Sloan-Orringer transhiatal technique, applied in 10 (71.4 percent) patients. Gastrostomy predominated in 53 (76.2 percent) patients as a palliative procedure for feeding. Forty-five complications were reported, 53.3 percent of which were medical, with respiratory complications prevailing: bronchopneumonia (13.3 percent) and respiratory distress (11.1 percent). On the other hand, 46.7 percent of the complications were surgical: surgical site infection (20.0 percent), followed by anastomotic leak (15.6 percent). Out of the total series, 16 (18.4 percent) patients died. The predominant causes of death were respiratory distress (31.3 percent) and multiple organ dysfunction (25.0 percent). Conclusions: Open or minimally invasive esophagectomy stands out as the surgical treatment of choice for esophageal cancer with curative purposes, being a procedure with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. The results of this research coincide with those reported in the national and foreign medical literature(AU)

Effect of miR-524-5p on Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition in Esophageal Cancer Cells by Regulating HEG1 Expression / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To investigate the mechanism and the effect of miR-524-5p regulating HEG1 expression on the proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of esophageal cancer cells. Methods The expression levels of miR-524-5p and HEG1 mRNA in esophageal cancer cells and normal esophageal epithelial cells were detected by qRT-PCR. KYSE30 cells were divided into miR-524-5p mimic group, miR-524-5p NC group, miR-524-5p mimic+pcDNA3.1 group, and miR-524-5p mimic+pcDNA3.1-HEG1 group. Non-transfected cells were set as the normal control group (group Control). CCK-8 method was applied to detect the proliferation ability of KYSE30 cells. Western blot analysis was conducted to detect the expression of proteins related to EMT, invasion, and migration and the HEG1 protein. Scratch and Transwell assays were applied to detect the migration and invasion abilities of KYSE30 cells. A dual-luciferase reporter gene was used to examine the targeting relationship between miR-524-5p and HEG1. Results miR-524-5p was lowly expressed in four esophageal cancer cell lines, namely, TE-1, KYSE30, KYSE150, and NEC (P < 0.05). KYSE30 cells with the lowest expression level were selected for subsequent experiments. HEG1 mRNA was highly expressed in four esophageal cancer cell lines (P < 0.05). The GEPIA database showed that HEG1 was highly expressed in esophageal cancer tumor tissues (P < 0.05). KYSE30 cells in the miR-524-5p mimic group had lower proliferation ability, colony formation number, mesenchymal marker protein expression, and migration and invasion abilities and upregulated epithelial marker protein E-cadherin level than cells in the miR-524-5p NC group (P < 0.05). The miR-524-5p mimic+pcDNA3.1-HEG1 group significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of overexpression of miR-524-5p on the proliferation, epithelial–mesenchymal transformation, invasion, and metastasis of KYSE30 cells (P < 0.05). The luciferase activity of cells in the miR-524-5p mimic and WT-HEG1 co-transfection groups was lower than that in the miR-524-5p NC and WT-HEG1 co-transfection groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion miR-524-5p is lowly expressed in EC cells and tissues. The overexpression of miR-524-5p can negatively regulate the expression of HEG1 in esophageal cancer cell line (KYSE30 cells) and reduce the proliferation, EMT process, and invasion and migration abilities of KYSE30 cells.

Cancer Death and Distribution Characteristics from 2013 to 2017 in Cixian, Hebei Province / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To investigate the cancer death and distribution characteristics of residents in Cixian County. Methods In accordance with the norms of cancer registration, cancer death data from 2013 to 2017 in Cixian were collected and analyzed, and the crude cancer death rate, age-standardized mortality rates by the Chinese standard population (ASMRC), age-standardized mortality rates by the global standard population (ASMRW). Results From January 1st, 2013, to December 31st, 2017, 6 490 cases of cancer death were recorded. The average annual crude mortality rate was 202.88/100 000, ASMRC was 186.49/100 000, and the ASMRW was 189.02/100 000. The top 10 male mortality cancers were esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, trachea, bronchus and lung cancer, liver cancer, rectal cancer, cerebral nervous system cancer, colon cancer, leukemia, pancreatic cancer, and bladder cancer in order. The top 10 female mortality cancers were esophageal cancer, trachea, bronchus and lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, brain, nervous system cancer, rectal cancer, and ovarian cancer. The age of death increased considerably from the age of 40 years. It increased with the increase in age and reached the peak at the age of 85 years. Conclusion Upper gastrointestinal cancer and lung cancer were the main cancers that threatened the residents of Cixian County from 2013 to 2017. Screening and comprehensive prevention of high-risk groups are still the main targets of cancer prevention and control.

Efficacy and safety of enteral nutrition with jejunostomy tube versus nasojejunal tube after radical resection of esophageal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of jejunostomy tube versus nasojejunal tube for enteral nutrition after radical resection of esophageal cancer. Methods    PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and CBM databases were searched to collect the clinical effects of jejunostomy tube versus nasojejunal nutrition tube after radical resection of esophageal cancer from inception to October 2021. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. Results    Twenty-six articles were included, including 17 randomized controlled studies and 9 cohort studies, with a total of 35 808 patients. Meta-analysis results showed that: in the jejunostomy tube group, the postoperative exhaust time (MD=–4.27, 95%CI –5.87 to –2.66, P=0.001), the incidence of pulmonary infection (OR=1.39, 95%CI 1.06 to 1.82, P=0.02), incidence of tube removal (OR=0.11, 95%CI 0.04 to 0.30, P=0.001), incidence of tube blockage (OR=0.47, 95%CI 0.23 to 0.97, P=0.04), incidence of nasopharyngeal discomfort (OR=0.04, 95%CI 0.01 to 0.13, P=0.001), the incidence of nasopharyngeal mucosal damage (OR=0.13, 95%CI 0.04 to 0.42, P=0.008), the incidence of nausea and vomiting (OR=0.20, 95%CI 0.08 to 0.47, P=0.003) were significantly shorter or lower than those of the nasojejunal tube group. The postoperative serum albumin level (MD=5.75, 95%CI 5.34 to 6.16, P=0.001) was significantly better than that of the nasojejunal tube group. However, the intraoperative operation time of the jejunostomy tube group (MD=13.65, 95%CI 2.32 to 24.98, P=0.02) and the indent time of the postoperative nutrition tube (MD=17.81, 95%CI 12.71 to 22.91, P=0.001) were longer than those of the nasojejunal nutrition tube. At the same time, the incidence of postoperative intestinal obstruction (OR=6.08, 95%CI 2.55 to 14.50, P=0.001) was significantly higher than that of the nasojejunal tube group. There were no statistical differences in the length of postoperative hospital stay or the occurrence of anastomotic fistula between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion    In the process of enteral nutrition after radical resection of esophageal cancer, jejunostomy tube has better clinical treatment effect and is more comfortable during catheterization, but the incidence of intestinal obstruction is higher than that of traditional nasojejunal tube.

Risk factors for postoperative pulmonary infection in patients with esophageal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To systematically evaluate the risk factors for postoperative pulmonary infection in patients with esophageal cancer. Methods    CNKI, Wangfang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library were searched from inception to January 2021 to collect case-control studies, cohort studies and cross-sectional studies about risk factors for postoperative pulmonary infection in patients with esophageal cancer. Two researchers independently conducted literature screening, data extraction and quality assessment. RevMan 5.3 software and Stata 15.0 software were used for meta-analysis. Results    A total of 20 articles were included, covering 5 409 patients of esophageal cancer. The quality score of included studies was 6-8 points. Meta-analysis results showed that age (MD=1.99, 95%CI 0.10 to 3.88, P=0.04), age≥60 years (OR=2.68, 95%CI 1.46 to 4.91, P=0.001), smoking history (OR=2.41, 95%CI 1.77 to 3.28, P<0.001), diabetes (OR=2.30, 95%CI 1.90 to 2.77, P<0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR=3.69, 95%CI 2.09 to 6.52, P<0.001), pulmonary disease (OR=2.22, 95%CI 1.16 to 4.26, P=0.02), thoracotomy (OR=1.77, 95%CI 1.32 to 2.37, P<0.001), operation time (MD=14.08, 95%CI 9.64 to 18.52, P<0.001), operation time>4 h (OR=3.09, 95%CI 1.46 to 6.55, P=0.003), single lung ventilation (OR=3.46, 95%CI 1.61 to 7.44, P=0.001), recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (OR=5.66, 95%CI 1.63 to 19.71, P=0.006), and no use of patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) (OR=2.81, 95%CI 1.71 to 4.61, P<0.001) were risk factors for postoperative pulmonary infection in patients with esophageal cancer. Conclusion    The existing evidence shows that age, age≥60 years, smoking history, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary disease, thoracotomy, operation time, operation time>4 h, single lung ventilation, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, and no use of PCEA are risk factors for postoperative pulmonary infection in patients with esophageal cancer. Due to the limitation of the quantity and quality of included literature, the conclusion of this study still needs to be confirmed by more high-quality studies.

Application of enhanced recovery after surgery in da Vinci robotic McKeown surgery for esophageal cancer: A retrospective cohort study / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective     To investigate the application of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in da Vinci robotic McKeown surgery for esophageal cancer. Methods     Clinical data of patients admitted to the First Hospital of Lanzhou University and undergoing da Vinci robotic McKeown surgery for esophageal cancer from 2017 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the treatment, they were divided into two groups, a conventional group and an ERAS group. Patients in the conventional group were treated with the conventional perioperative treatment mode of thoracic surgery, and patients in the ERAS group were treated with accelerated rehabilitation surgical treatment mode. Relevant hospitalization indicators and postoperative complication rates were compared between the two groups. Results     Finally 128 patients were collected, including 106 males and 22 females, with an average age of 61.91 years. There were 71 patients in the conventional group and 57 patients in the ERAS group. The postoperative pain index in the ERAS group was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (P<0.05), and the duration of postoperative analgesic pump used in the ERAS group was shorter than that in the conventional group (2.39±0.49 d vs. 3.13±0.63 d, P<0.001). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of postoperative related complications (gastroesophageal reflux, anastomotic stenosis, anastomotic fistula, arrhythmia, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, chylothorax, anastomosis stomatitis or incisional infection) between the two groups (P>0.05), but the incidence of postoperative lung infection in the ERAS group was statistically lower (12.28% vs. 26.76%, P=0.043), and the volume of postoperative pleural effusion was statistically less compared with the conventional group (P<0.05). In the ERAS group, the surgery time (294.35±15.19 min vs. 322.79±59.09 min, P<0.001), postoperative exhaust time (1.44±0.39 d vs. 1.94±0.43 d, P<0.001), postoperative removal time of nasolasal tube (6.79±0.73 d vs. 8.21±0.86 d, P<0.001), hospital stay (19.88±3.36 d vs. 21.34±3.59 d, P=0.020), hospitalization costs (105 575.28±8 960.75 yuan vs. 137 894.64±19 518.60 yuan, P<0.001) were all lower or shorter than those of the conventional group. Postoperative activity was longer in the ERAS group than that in the conventional group (P<0.05), but there was no statistical difference in preoperative anesthesia time between the two groups (P=0.841). Conclusion     The application of ERAS in da Vinci robotic McKeown surgery for esophageal cancer can effectively alleviate the physiological and psychological burden of patients, reduce the occurrence of postoperative related complications, effectively shorten the total hospital stay, save hospitalization costs, and reduce the economic burden of patients and society. Therefore, it can be promoted and applied in the clinic.

Accuracy of endoscopy-based artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostic system in the diagnosis of early esophageal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective     To systematically evaluate the accuracy of endoscopy-based artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted diagnostic systems in the diagnosis of early-stage esophageal cancer and provide a scientific basis for its diagnostic value. Methods    PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang database, VIP database and CNKI database were searched by computer to search for the relevant literature about endoscopy-based AI-assisted diagnostic systems for the diagnosis of early esophageal cancer from inception to March 2022. The QUADAS-2 was used for quality evaluation of included studies. Meta-analysis of the literature was carried out using Stata 16, Meta-Disc 1.4 and RevMan 5.4 softwares. A bivariate mixed effects regression model was utilized to calculate the combined diagnostic efficacy of the AI-assisted system and meta-regression analysis was conducted to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Results    A total of 17 articles were included, which consisted of 13 retrospective cohort studies and 4 prospective cohort studies. The results of the quality evaluation using QUADAS-2 showed that all included literature was of high quality. The obtained meta-analysis results revealed that the AI-assisted system in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer presented a combined sensitivity of 0.94 (95%CI 0.91 to 0.96), a specificity of 0.85 (95%CI 0.74 to 0.92), a positive likelihood ratio of 6.28 (95%CI 3.48 to 11.33), a negative likelihood ratio of 0.07 (95%CI 0.05 to 0.11), a diagnostic odds ratio of 89 (95%CI 38 to 208) and an area under the curve of 0.96 (95%CI 0.94 to 0.98). Conclusion    The AI-assisted diagnostic system has a high diagnostic value for early stage esophageal cancer. However, most of the included studies were retrospective. Therefore, further high-quality prospective studies are needed for validation.

ffect of preoperative frailty on postoperative complications in elderly patients with esophageal cancer: A retrospective cohort study / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective     To evaluate the effect of frailty on postoperative complications in elderly patients with esophageal cancer. Methods     We enrolled the patients aged≥65 years and with esophageal cancer who underwent surgical treatment in Shanghai Chest Hospital in 2021. The modified frailty index (mFI) was calculated and the patients were divided into a non-frailty group and a frailty group. The primary outcomes were the incidence of postoperative pulmonary infection, arrhythmia, anastomotic fistula and chylothorax complications. Secondary outcomes were the time of extubation, the rate of unplanned re-intubation, the length of ICU stay, hospital stay, rate of readmission within 30 days after discharge and the mortality within 30 days after operation. Results     Finally 607 patients were collected. There were 273 patients in the non-frailty group and 334 patients in the frailty group. The non-frailty group had lower rates of complications including pulmonary infection (5.5% vs. 13.5%), arrhythmia (3.7% vs. 9.3%), anastomotic fistula (2.9% vs. 7.5%), and shorter ICU stay [2.0 (0.0, 4.0) d vs. 4.0 (1.0, 6.0) d] and in-hospital stay [11.5 (9.5, 13.0) d vs. 13.0 (11.0, 18.0) d], lower rates of the readmission within 30 days (2.9% vs. 6.6%) and the mortality within 30 days (0.4% vs. 1.2%) compared with the frailty group (P<0.05). Conclusion     Frail elderly patients with esophageal cancer have higher rates of postoperative complications. mFI can be used as an objective index to identify high-risk elderly patients with esophageal cancer.

COVID-19 infection after minimally invasive esophagectomy: Two cases report / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Two male patients (75 years and 51 years, respectively) suffered infection of novel coronavirus after minimally invasive surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Sichuan Cancer Hospital since December 2022. Both patients developed severe hypoxemia after surgery, and were treated with advanced oxygen therapy, antiviral therapy, hormone shock therapy, antibiotic anti-infection and nutritional support. The two patients stayed in the intensive care unit for 6 days and 8 days respectively. They were transferred to the general ward for symptomatic treatment and were discharged successfully. Both patients required low-flow oxygen maintenance after discharge. On the 20th day of follow-up after discharge, patient 1 still needed low-flow oxygen, his oxygen saturation could be maintained above 97%, but intermittent deoxygenation could be performed for half an hour. Patient 2 was in good condition on 35 days after discharge.

Interpretation of the main updates of the NCCN clinical practice guidelines for esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancer (version 1.2023) / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Upper gastrointestinal tract cancers originating in the esophagus or esophagogastric junction constitute a major global health problem. On February 28, 2023, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) released the clinical practice guidelines for esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancer (version 1.2023). This article will interpret the main updates related to the treatment and follow-up in this version compared to the version 5.2022, in order to provide the Chinese clinicians a better basis and reference for the diagnosis and treatment of the diseases.

Changes and effects of lymphatic vessels and lymphatic endothelial cells in lymph node metastasis of esophageal cancer / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#The lymphatic system is the main way of tumor metastasis and diffusion. Esophageal cancer is one of the typical cancers that are prone to metastasis through the lymphatic system. At present, an increasing number of studies show that the interaction between tumor cells and lymphatic endothelial cells is the first step in tumor lymphatic metastasis, but the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear. This article reviews the role and changes of tumor-related lymphatic vessels and lymphatic endothelial cells in the process of tumor lymphatic metastasis, which lays a foundation for further study of the specific molecular mechanism of esophageal cancer lymphatic metastasis and provides a new treatment direction for esophageal cancer patients.

Risk factors and prediction model of perioperative esophagogastric anastomotic leakage after esophageal cancer surgery / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To analyze the risk factors for esophagogastric anastomotic leakage (EGAL) after esophageal cancer surgery, and to establish a risk prediction model for early prevention and treatment. Methods    Clinical data of patients undergoing esophagectomy in our hospital from January 2013 to October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The independent risk factors for postoperative EGAL were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, and a clinical nomogram prediction model was established. According to whether EGAL occurred after operation, the patients were divided into an anastomotic fistula group and a non-anastomotic fistula group. Results    A total of 303 patiens were enrolled, including 267 males and 36 females with a mean age of 62.30±7.36 years. The incidence rate of postoperative EGAL was 15.2% (46/303). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high blood pressure, chronic bronchitis, peptic ulcer, operation way, the number of lymph node dissected, anastomotic way, the number of intraoperative chest drainage tube, tumor location, no-supplementing albumin in the first three days after operation, postoperative pulmonary infection, postoperative use of bronchoscope were the independent risk factors for EGAL after esophageal cancer surgery (P<0.05). A prognostic nomogram model was established based on these factors with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.954 (95%CI 0.924-0.975), indicating a high predictive  value. Conclusion    The clinical prediction model based on 11 perioperative risk factors in the study has a good evaluation efficacy and can promote the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of EGAL.

Establishment and evaluation of risk prediction model for the esophageal cancer via whole transcriptome analysis / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To establish the gene-based esophageal cancer (ESCA) risk score prediction models via whole transcriptome analysis to provide ideas and basis for improving ESCA treatment strategies and patient prognosis. Methods    RNA sequencing data of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and adjacent tissues were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The edgeR method was used to screen out the differential genes between ESCA tissue and normal tissue, and the key genes affecting the survival status of ESCC and EAC patients were initially identified through univariate Cox regression analysis. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to further screen genes and establish ESCC and EAC risk score prediction models. Results    The risk score prediction models were the independent prognostic factors for ESCA, and the risk score was significantly related to the survival status of patients. In ESCC, the risk score was related to T stage. In EAC, the risk score was related to lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and clinical stage. The constructed nomogram based on risk score showed good predictive ability. In ESCC, the risk score was related to tumor immune cell infiltration and the expression of immune checkpoint genes. However, this feature was not obvious in EAC. Conclusion 聽 聽The ESCC and EAC risk score prediction models have shown good predictive capabilities, which provide certain inspiration and basis for optimizing the management of ESCA and improving the prognosis of patients.

Risk factors and prediction model of postoperative atrial fibrillation surgery after esophageal cancer surgery / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective:To develop a risk prediction lineogram of neooperative atrial fibrillation in patients with esophageal cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 1 509 patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery admitted to the department of esophageal surgery of our hospital from December 2019 to April 2022 were gathered, and they were divided into two layers according to whether they had new atrial fibrillation after surgery. In each layer, they were randomly divided into training set and test set in a ratio of 7∶3. In the training population, the multi-factor logistic regression method was used to establish the prediction model, and the line graph of the prediction model was drawn. The ROC curve and calibration curve were drawn to assess the differentiation ability and calibration ability of the prediction model. The test set population is used to validate the prediction model. Results:A total of 1 509 patients with esophageal cancer were included in the study, and the incidence of new atrial fibrillation after surgery was 247 patients(16.4%). A total of 1 039 patients(68.9%) were enrolled in the training set. The multivariate logistic regression model indicated that age, gender, BMI, pulmonary infection, the use of invasive ventilator, and the need for additional drainage of fluid accumulation were the influencing factors for new postoperative atrial fibrillation. The AUC of the training set prediction model under ROC curve was 0.775(95% CI: 0.737-0.812, P<0.001), indicating that the model has high predictive discrimination ability. Calibration curve and Hosmer- Lemeshow test results P=0.796, indicating that the model has good consistency of prediction ability. There were 470 subjects(31.1%) in the test set. The results showed that the AUC of the prediction model under the ROC curve was 0.773(95% CI: 0.719-0.826, P<0.001), indicating that the prediction model still has a high discriminative ability in the test set population. Conclusion:Patients with age, gender, BMI, pulmonary infection, the use of invasive ventilator, and the need for additional drainage of effusion are at higher risk of new atrial fibrillation after surgery. The timely prediction, prevention and management of POAF are crucial to improve the prognostic quality of postoperative patients with esophageal cancer by constructing clinical prediction models.

Clinical application of Ivor-Lewis procedure under uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopy for esophageal cancer / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the safety and feasibility of Ivor-Lewis procedure under uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopy(VATS) for esophageal cancer and Siewert type I esophago-gastric junction carcinoma.Methods:The patients with middle-lower segment esophageal cancer or Siewert type I esophago-gastric junction carcinoma received minimally invasive esophagectomy between October 2020 and June 2021, and the clinical data was collected and analyzed.Results:26 patients received Ivor-Lewis procedure underwent uniportal VATS, while 45 patients underwent McKeown surgery under multiport VATS. The average operation time of patients in the two groups were(265±110)min and (235±94)min, and the average intraoperative blood loss were(80±57)ml and(105±60)ml. The mean number of lymph nodes removed in the surgery were (19.3±2.9) and 18.6±2.7 respectively in two groups, and the mean length of hospital stay was(7.5±3.5)days and(8.3±2.7)days. The incidence of perioperative complications were not significantly different in two groups. The VAS score of patients received Ivor-Lewis procedure underwent uniportal VATS was lower than that of patients received McKeown surgery in ostoperative day 1, day 3, day 7 and 1 month. The difference was statistically significant in two groups( P<0.05). Conclusion:The Ivor-Lewis procedure under uniportal VATS for esophageal cancer and Siewert type I esophago-gastric junction carcinoma has the advantage of less postoperative pain, and the procedure is feasible in clinical practice.