The association between postoperative complications and long-term survival after esophagectomy: a multicenter cohort study

Laura F C Fransen, Rob H A Verhoeven, Thijs H J B Janssen, Marc J van Det, Suzanne S Gisbertz, Richard van Hillegersberg, Bastiaan Klarenbeek, Ewout A Kouwenhoven, Grard A P Nieuwenhuijzen, Camiel Rosman, Jelle P Ruurda, Mark I van Berge Henegouwen, Misha D P Luyer*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Conflicting results are reported on the association between post-esophagectomy complications and long-term survival. This multicenter study assesses the association between complications after an esophagectomy and long-term overall survival. Five Dutch high-volume centers collected data from consecutive patients undergoing esophagectomy between 2010 and 2016 and merged these with long-term survival data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Exclusion criteria were non-curative resections and 90-day mortality, among others. Primary outcome was overall survival related to the presence of a postoperative complication in general. Secondary outcomes analyzed the presence of anastomotic leakage and cardiopulmonary complications. Propensity score matching was performed and the outcomes were analyzed via Log-Rank test and Kaplan Meier analysis. Among the 1225 patients included, a complicated course occurred in 719 patients (59.0%). After matching for baseline characteristics, 455 pairs were successfully balanced. Patients with an uncomplicated postoperative course had a 5-year overall survival of 51.7% versus 44.4% in patients with complications (P = 0.011). Anastomotic leakage occurred in 18.4% (n = 226), and in 208 matched pairs, it was shown that the 5-year overall survival was 57.2% in patients without anastomotic leakage versus 44.0% in patients with anastomotic leakage (P = 0.005). Overall cardiopulmonary complication rate was 37.1% (n = 454), and in 363 matched pairs, the 5-year overall survival was 52.1% in patients without cardiopulmonary complications versus 45.3% in patients with cardiopulmonary complications (P = 0.019). Overall postoperative complication rate, anastomotic leakage, and cardiopulmonary complications were associated with a decreased long-term survival after an esophagectomy. Efforts to reduce complications might further improve the overall survival for patients treated for esophageal carcinoma.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberdoac086
Pages (from-to)1-11
JournalDiseases of the esophagus : official journal of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus
Volume36
Issue number6
Early online date6 Dec 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2023

Keywords

  • Anastomotic Leak/epidemiology
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/surgery
  • Cohort Studies
  • Esophageal Neoplasms/pathology
  • Esophagectomy/adverse effects
  • Humans
  • Postoperative Complications/epidemiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • esophagectomy
  • long-term survival
  • postoperative complication

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