The Impact of Infectious Complications after Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer on Cancer Prognosis and Treatment Strategy

Despite advances in the perioperative management of esophagectomy, it is still a highly invasive procedure for esophageal cancer and is associated with severe postoperative complications. The two major postoperative infectious complications after esophagectomy are pulmonary complications and anastomotic leakage. We previously reported that postoperative infectious complications after esophagectomy adversely affect long-term survival significantly in a single institution and meta-analysis. Additionally, we reviewed the mechanisms of proinflammatory cytokines, such as C-X-C motif ligand 8 (CXCL8) and its cognate receptor, C-X-C chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2), in contributing to tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Moreover, we previously reported that introducing minimally invasive esophagectomy, including robot assistance, laparoscopic gastric mobilization, and multidisciplinary team management, significantly reduced postoperative infectious complications after esophagectomy. Further, this review also suggests future treatment strategies for esophageal cancer, considering the adverse effect of postoperative infectious complications after esophagectomy.