Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32560226›Full record

ReviewCancers2020

Distribution of Lymph Node Metastases in Esophageal Carcinoma Patients Undergoing Upfront Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Eliza R C Hagens, Mark I van Berge Henegouwen, Suzanne S Gisbertz

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Cancers, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
50citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
6.9field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

50 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Cervical lymph node metastases in thoracic esophageal cancer: a systematic review.Diseases of the esophagus : official journal of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Eliza R C HagensDepartment of Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, 1105AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-1739-8065
Mark I van Berge HenegouwenDepartment of Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, 1105AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-8689-3134
Suzanne S GisbertzDepartment of Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, 1105AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-9655-7601
Amsterdam University Medical Centers · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metastatic lymphatic mapping in esophageal cancer is important to determine the optimal extent of the radiation field in case of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and lymphadenectomy when esophagectomy is indicated. The objective of this review is to identify the distribution pattern of metastatic lymphatic spread in relation to histology, tumor location, and T-stage in patients with esophageal cancer. Embase and Medline databases were searched by two independent researchers. Studies were included if published before July 2019 and if a transthoracic esophagectomy with a complete 2- or 3-field lymphadenectomy was performed without neoadjuvant therapy. The prevalence of lymph node metastases was described per histologic subtype and primary tumor location. Fourteen studies were included in this review with a total of 8952 patients. We found that both squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma metastasize to cervical, thoracic, and abdominal lymph node stations, regardless of the primary tumor location. In patients with an upper, middle, and lower thoracic squamous cell carcinoma, the lymph nodes along the right recurrent nerve are often affected (34%, 24% and 10%, respectively). Few studies describe the metastatic pattern of adenocarcinoma. The current literature is heterogeneous in the classification and reporting of lymph node metastases. This complicates evidence-based strategies in neoadjuvant and surgical treatment.

Indexed as

esophageal canceresophagectomylymphadenectomylymph node metastasessystematic review

Identifiers

PMID32560226
PMCPMC7352338
OpenAlexW3035097555

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.