Influence of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy on Short-term Outcomes After Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer

Background/Aim: The safety of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for esophageal cancer has not been adequately confirmed. Patients and Methods: Two hundred and twelve patients who underwent MIE for esophageal cancer at the Kumamoto University Hospital between May 2011 and June 2018 were enrolled. A total of 46 patients received NAC and underwent subsequent MIE. The control group comprised 166 patients who underwent MIE without any preoperative treatments. We retrospectively investigated the patient-related, tumor-related, and surgery-related factors, as well as the short-term outcomes, between the two groups. Results: Preoperative lymphocyte counts and hemoglobin and albumin levels were significantly lower in the NAC plus MIE group than in the MIE alone group. Preoperative nutritional status, as measured by the prognostic nutrition index and controlling nutritional status, was also poorer in the NAC plus MIE group (p<0.001). However, short-term outcomes such as operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and incidence of postoperative complications were statistically equivalent between the groups. Conclusion: Although administration of NAC was associated with a poorer preoperative condition, it did not worsen the short-term outcomes after MIE.