Morbidity and Mortality of Patients Operated on for Esophageal Cancer

Abstract

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%) in stage II and 12 patients (17.9%) in stage III. Palliative surgical treatment was received by 55 ill patients (82.1%) in stage III and 18 ill patients (100.0%) in stage IV. There was a predominance of the Denk-Sloan-Orringer transhiatal technique, applied in 10 (71.4%) patients. Gastrostomy predominated in 53 (76.2%) patients as a palliative procedure for feeding. Forty-five complications were reported, 53.3% of which were medical, with respiratory complications prevailing: bronchopneumonia (13.3%) and respiratory distress (11.1%). On the other hand, 46.7% of the complications were surgical: surgical site infection (20.0%), followed by anastomotic leak (15.6%). Out of the total series, 16 (18.4%) patients died. The predominant causes of death were respiratory distress (31.3%) and multiple organ dysfunction (25.0%).

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.