A Case of Esophageal Cancer Treated by Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy after Bilateral Cadaveric Lung Transplantation.

Abstract

Purpose: With de novo cancer, esophagectomy after lung transplantation (LTx) can be challenging because of intrathoracic adhesions, delayed wound healing, and postoperative pulmonary complications, which might be lethal.

Case presentation: A 52-year-old woman with esophageal cancer had undergone bilateral LTx for end-stage diffuse panbronchiolitis at 50 years of age. Thoracoscopic esophagectomy was performed. Bilateral bronchial arteries and subcarinal and bilateral bronchial lymph nodes were preserved to maintain blood supply to the transplanted bronchi. No ischemic changes were observed in either bronchi. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. Although she underwent chemoradiation therapy for recurrence at the left cervical paraesophageal lymph node, she remains alive with good disease control and well-maintained respiratory function.

Conclusion: Minimally invasive surgery with careful attention to blood supply to the transplanted bronchi was useful for treating esophageal cancer after LTx.