Avoiding complications in esophageal cancer surgery

Modern handling of esophageal cancer patients is based on a multidisciplinary concept, but surgery remains the primary curative treatment modality. Improvements in the perioperative care have reduced the overall morbidity and mortality, but 2-7% of the patients may still die within 30 days as a direct consequence of complications related to the esophagectomy procedure. Primarily based on results from randomized studies published after 2000 this review describes some of the factors that may contribute to the development of postoperative complications following esophageal cancer surgery as well as studies intended to finding ways of reducing the complication rate.