Implementing the first program of minimally invasive esophagectomy for cancer in Israel: shifting the paradigm in a high-volume center – a cohort study

BACKGROUND: Esophagectomy is associated with significant perioperative morbidity. Limited data are available on the process of implementation of minimally invasive techniques in esophagectomy and related outcomes. The authors sought to describe implementation processes and outcomes following the implementation of the first minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) program at a high-volume center in Israel under the mentorship of American early adopters. METHODS: Patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma 2011–2022 were included. Early and late cohorts were created for learning curve analysis. Secondary analysis included patients who underwent open esophagectomy 1997–2011. RESULTS: Overall, 300 patients underwent MIE: three-field MIE (3F-MIE) was performed in 242 (80.7%) patients, two-field MIE (2F-MIE) in 58 (19.3%) patients. Following program implementation in 2012, the number of MIE performed increased during the first 3 years (n=33, 86.8% in 2015). Among 3F-MIE patients, a higher number of retrieved lymph nodes was reported during later cases (median, IQR1–3 17, 12–23 vs. 12, 8–12, P<0.001) while surgeries required a longer time (median, IQR1–3 300 min, 261–355 vs. 262.5, 239–300, P<0.001). Among 2F-MIE patients, the late cohort had lower rates of prolonged ICU admissions than earlier counterparts (n=2, 6.9% vs. n=9, 31%, P=0.041), overall and severe 30-day complications (n=12, 41.4% vs. n=23, 79.3%, P<0.001 and n=7, 24.1% vs. n=23, 79.3%, P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: MIE was safely implemented. Nodal yield was higher among MIE patients than open esophagectomy. During the study years, open approach was gradually abandoned in favor of 3F-MIE procedures, while 2F-MIE increased over the course of the last years.