Whether to do minimally invasive surgery or open heart surgery for esophageal cancer has its own advantages and disadvantages, which should be determined according to the condition of the disease and the tolerance level of the patient’s body under the assessment of the physician.
Minimally invasive surgery for esophageal cancer can ensure the thoroughness of removing cancerous tissues and regional lymph nodes, reduce trauma and accelerate recovery, which is the best way of treatment for esophageal cancer nowadays. Thoracoscopic surgery has a better field of vision, and the enlarged image with ultra-clear resolution can clearly show the tissues and anatomical relationship, ensure the completeness and thoroughness of lymph node dissection, and increase the safety of the surgery, and the comprehensive effect is obviously stronger than that of open-heart surgery. The comprehensive effect is obviously better than open chest surgery. However, thoracoscopic treatment is limited when there is a wide range of trauma or extensive adhesions in the thoracic cavity.
Open thoracic surgery can help the surgeon to complete a larger resection area and more complex surgical operation, and it can also help the surgeon to directly observe the patient’s condition, which is suitable for cases with complex condition, large surgical scope or the condition is not completely clear; in the case of serious cardiac macrovascular injuries, combined thoracic and abdominal injuries, etc., the open surgery can better fight for time than the lumbo-scopic surgery, and it has a higher probability of successful salvage. However, it is more damaging to the body, and the recovery time after surgery is significantly longer.
It is recommended that patients in need of surgery should go to a professional medical institution for consultation, so as to clarify their condition through examination, and the doctor will formulate a reasonable surgical plan according to the patient’s condition.