Abstract
Background: Different treatments are performed for esophageal cancer, but surgery is still the base of treatment. Respiratory complication is the important postoperative complications of esophageal cancer.
Methods: In this study 40 patients who were candidates for surgery of esophageal cancer were placed into two groups of with or without neoadjuvant therapy. Before surgery, they underwent bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage. The samples were analyzed for airway colonization and then the patients underwent the surgery and were postoperatively evaluated in respiratory complications and the effects of preoperative neoadjuvant therapy.
Results: M/F=23/17 and mean age was 61 years. 22 cases had cancer in the middle and 18 in the lower part of the esophagus. 25 cases had SCC and 15 had ACC. In evaluation, no organism was found in 9 cases (22.5%) and positive cases of microbial culture was found in 31 cases (77.5%). Significant relation was observed between airway positive microbial colonization and neoadjuvant therapy but no significant relation was found between neoadjuvant therapy and major respiratory complications such as pneumonia, ARDS. There was significant relation between difficult weaning and airway colonization, but no significant relation was found between length of hospitalization in ICU and receiving neoadjuvant therapy. Two deaths were reported due to myocardial infarction in the postoperative days.There was no death due to respiratory complications.
Conclusion: Neoadjuvant therapy can used safle and it does not cause postoperative major pulmonary complications and related mortality.
- © 2011 ERS