Postoperative pneumonia causes the loss of skeletal muscle volume and poor prognosis in patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

PURPOSES: This retrospective study investigated the effect of postoperative pneumonia on the loss of skeletal muscle volume after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. METHODS: A total of 123 patients who had undergone esophagectomy for esophageal cancer and had (30 patients) or did not have (93 patients) postoperative pneumonia were included in the analysis. The association of clinicopathological characteristics with loss of skeletal muscle volume and long-term survival were evaluated in patients with or without postoperative pneumonia. RESULTS: There were no differences in the psoas muscle volume index (PI), lymphocyte count, serum albumin level, or prognostic nutritional index between the two groups both preoperatively and at 6 months after surgery. The decrease in PI at 6 months after surgery was significant in patients with postoperative pneumonia (- 9.9 ± 2.5%) but not in those without pneumonia (- 2.6 ± 1.6%). Patients with postoperative pneumonia had a significantly increased frequency of asymptomatic pneumonia at 6 months after surgery compared with those who did not have postoperative pneumonia (36.7% vs. 19.4%). Overall survival was significantly poorer in patients with postoperative pneumonia than in those without pneumonia (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative pneumonia was associated with the loss of skeletal muscle volume and asymptomatic pneumonia within 6 months of surgery as well as poorer overall survival.

Impact of Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Therapies on Platelet-related Prognostic Markers in Patients With Esophageal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: In recent years, platelet-related markers were recognized as useful prognostic factors in various malignancies. We investigated the relationship between platelet-related prognostic markers and anti-platelet or anti-coagulant therapies for survival outcomes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Preoperative platelet-related prognostic markers were evaluated from peripheral blood testing and statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic value of these markers and reveal the effects of antiplatelets and/or anticoagulants regarding their prognostic relevance. RESULTS: In all 176 patients, preoperative platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was not found to be a predictor of overall survival (OS). However, in patients without antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapies, PLR was significantly associated with a poor OS (p=0.03). Although platelet large cell ratio (P-LCR) was not associated with the prognosis in patients with antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant therapies, higher P-LCR was associated with a poor prognosis in patients without antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapies (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Researching detailed antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies could reinforce the prognostic value of platelet-related prognostic markers in ESCC.

Efficacy of artificial pneumothorax under two-lung ventilation in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: One-lung ventilation (OLV) is the standard and widely applied ventilation approach used in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for esophageal cancer (VATS-e). To address the disadvantages of OLV with respect to difficulties in intubation and induction, as well as the risk of respiratory complications, two-lung ventilation (TLV) with artificial pneumothorax has been introduced for use in VATS-e. However, no studies have yet compared TLV and OLV with postoperative infection and inflammation in the prone position over time postoperatively. Here, we investigated the efficacy of TLV in patients undergoing VATS-e in the prone position. METHODS: Between April 2010 and December 2016, 119 patients underwent VATS-e under OLV or TLV with carbon dioxide insufflation. Clinical characteristics, surgical outcomes, and postoperative outcomes, including oxygenation and systemic inflammatory responses, were compared between patients who underwent OLV and those who underwent TLV. RESULTS: Clinical characteristics other than pT stage were comparable between groups. The TLV group had shorter thoracic operation time than the OLV group. No patients underwent conversion to open thoracotomy. The PaO2/FiO2 ratios of the TLV group on postoperative day (POD) 5 and on POD7 were significantly higher than those of the OLV group. C-reactive protein levels on POD7 were lower in the TLV group than in the OLV group. There were no significant differences with respect to postoperative complications between the OLV and TLV groups. In the TLV group, the white blood cell count on POD7 was significantly lower than that in the OLV group; body temperature showed a similar trend immediately after surgery and on POD1. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we demonstrated that, compared with OLV, TLV in the prone position provides better oxygenation and reduced inflammation in the postoperative course. Accordingly, TLV might be more useful than OLV for ventilation during esophageal cancer surgery.

Impact of perioperative high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 expression on long-term outcomes in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: High mobility group box chromosomal protein-1 (HMGB-1) is a potential late mediator of sepsis and a possible risk factor for postoperative pulmonary complications after esophagectomy. This study aimed to determine the relationship between HMGB-1 and clinicopathological factors and long-term prognosis after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. METHODS: We measured perioperative serum HMGB-1 levels using ELISA and HMGB-1 protein by immunohistochemistry expression in resected specimens. RESULTS: Postoperative serum HMGB-1 levels were significantly higher than preoperative levels. Preoperative serum HMGB-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with more intraoperative bleeding, longer intensive care unit stays, and postoperative pneumonia. Postoperative serum HMGB-1 levels were significantly higher in older patients and those with longer operation time and more intraoperative bleeding. There were significant differences in long-term outcomes according to postoperative but not preoperative serum HMGB-1 levels. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that advanced pathological stage, postoperative pulmonary complications, and higher postoperative serum HMGB-1 levels were independently associated with relapse-free survival and overall survival. Preoperative serum HMGB-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with high HMGB-1 expression than those with low HMGB-1 expression by immunohistochemistry, whereas such statistical differences were not observed in postoperative serum HMGB-1. There were no differences in relapse-free survival and overall survival according to HMGB-1 expression by immunohistochemistry. Serum HMGB-1 levels were significantly increased after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. CONCLUSION: Elevated postoperative serum HMGB-1, which was associated not only with poor long-term but also short-term outcomes such as postoperative complications, might serve as a potential marker for prognosis in esophageal cancer.