Neck Dissection for Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Subtotal esophagectomy with extended lymph node dissection is a standard procedure for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Three-field lymphadenectomy, including neck dissection, is a standard type of lymph node dissection for complete clearance of tumor cells. Based on various series of analyses for lymph node metastases, the appropriate indication for neck dissection has been clarified. Herein, we describe the established techniques of neck dissection and review recent topics of three-field lymph node dissection for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.