Esophageal reconstruction using a pedicled jejunum following esophagectomy for metastatic esophageal stricture from breast cancer in a patient with previous pancreatoduodenectomy

A 71-year-old woman with dysphagia was diagnosed with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by endoscopic biopsy at another hospital. She had previously undergone partial breast excision with axillary lymph node dissection for right breast cancer eleven years earlier and subtotal stomach-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy with Child’s reconstruction for ampullary cancer ten years earlier. Gastrointestinal endoscopy showed a stricture due to a bulging submucosal tumor in the mid-thoracic esophagus. The tumor was diagnosed as an esophageal metastasis from breast cancer by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy. After six courses of fulvestrant, the tumor progressed, completely impeding her ability to swallow. An esophagectomy was planned in a one-stage operation because of the expectation of a prolonged survival and her strong hope of regaining oral intake. Unfortunately, she underwent emergent omental patch repair for perforation of the gastrojejunostomy site due to an anastomotic ulcer one day before the scheduled operation. Due to postoperative impairment of her performance status, she subsequently underwent a two-stage esophageal operation. In the first surgical stage, prone position thoracoscopic esophagectomy and cervical esophagostomy were performed and she was discharged with enteral nutrition on postoperative day 15. Sixty-one days after the first surgical stage, esophageal reconstruction was performed using a pedicled jejunum with microvascular anastomosis via the subcutaneous route. She was discharged without any complications 20 days after the second operation.