Essential updates 2020/2021: Recent topics in surgery and perioperative therapy for esophageal cancer

In this review, we focused on four topics, namely, minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE), robot‐assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE), conversion and salvage surgery, and neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy, based on notable reports published in the years 2020 and 2021. It seems that while the short‐term outcomes of minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (MIE‐IL) were better than those of open Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (OE‐IL), there were no significant differences in the long‐term outcomes between MIE‐IL and OE‐IL. Similarly, the short‐term outcomes of minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy (MIE‐MK) were better than those of open McKeown esophagectomy (OE‐MK), while there were no significant differences in the long‐term outcomes between MIE‐MK and OE‐MK. Furthermore, the short‐term outcomes of robot‐assisted minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (RAMIE‐IL) were superior to those of completely minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (CMIE‐IL). On the other hand, there were advantages and disadvantages in relation to the short‐term outcomes of robot‐assisted minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy (RAMIE‐MK) as compared with completely minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy (CMIE‐MK). However, there were no significant differences in the long‐term outcomes between RAMIE‐MK and CMIE‐MK. Further research is needed to evaluate of short‐term and long‐term outcomes of transmediastinal esophagectomy with and without robotic assistance. Both induction chemotherapy and induction chemoradiotherapy appear to be promising to secure a higher rate of conversion surgery. Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy and chemoimmunoradiotherapy have shown promising results and are expected as new powerful therapies.