Salvage surgery after definitive chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer in a patient surviving colon and gastric cancer surgeries

Abstract

A 68-year-old male with a past history of right hemicolectomy for ascending colon cancer at 60 years of age and distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer at 66 years of age developed dysphagia at 67 years of age. Squamous cell cancer of the lower thoracic esophagus was diagnosed, and definitive chemoradiotherapy resulted in a complete response. However, locoregional recurrence developed one year later, and we performed salvage esophagectomy, lymph node dissection and reconstruction using pedicled jejunum with additional microvascular anastomosis. No major postoperative complications occurred. But he died of multiple lymphnodes, liver metastasis and lung metastasis after nine months of the surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first report of salvage esophageal cancer surgery in a patient who had survived after surgeries for colon cancer and gastric cancer. ©2006 The Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery.