Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42860495›Full record

ArticleAnnals of surgical oncology2026

Robotic versus Conventional Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy for Resectable Esophageal Cancer After Neoadjuvant Therapy: A Dual-Center Retrospective Study.

Tianzheng Shen, Yingyi Li, Wenwu He, Yajie Zhang, Chengqiang Li, Yongtao Han, Chenghao Wang, Hecheng Li

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Article in Annals of surgical oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Tianzheng Shen *Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Yingyi Li *Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Wenwu He *Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Yajie ZhangDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Chengqiang LiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Yongtao HanDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Chenghao WangDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. wch7676203@163.com.
Hecheng LiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China. lihecheng2000@hotmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8069-6033

Funding

Interdisciplinary Program of Shanghai Jiao Tong University YG2023ZD04National Key Research and Development Program of China 2021YFC2500900National Natural Science Foundation of China 82072557National Natural Science Foundation of China 82372855Novel Interdisciplinary Research Project from Shanghai Municipal Health Commission 2022JC023
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesData on robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) after neoadjuvant therapy, particularly after neoadjuvant immunochemoradiotherapy, remain scarce. This study compares the perioperative outcomes of RAMIE versus conventional minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) in patients with resectable esophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy.

methodsWe conducted a dual-center, retrospective study of consecutive patients with esophageal cancer who underwent MIE after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or neoadjuvant immunochemoradiotherapy between 2020 and 2025. Propensity score matching was applied based on preoperative variables. Perioperative outcomes were analyzed.

resultsAfter 1:1 propensity score matching, 137 patients were allocated to each group. The RAMIE group demonstrated a higher rate of left recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node dissection (67.9% vs. 53.3%, p = 0.02) and yielded more lymph nodes in this station after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (mean 1.6 vs. 1.0, p = 0.02). However, RAMIE was associated with a higher overall incidence of postoperative complications (38.0% vs. 24.8%, p = 0.03). No significant differences were observed in operation time, pathological complete response rate, severe complications, length of stay, 30-day readmission, or 90-day mortality.

conclusionsIn expert hands, RAMIE achieves perioperative safety comparable to that with MIE after neoadjuvant therapy and offers a superior ability to dissect critical lymph node stations. This technical advantage establishes RAMIE as a viable and promising surgical option, warranting further prospective investigation in randomized trials.

Indexed as

Esophageal cancerMinimally invasive esophagectomyNeoadjuvant therapyRobotic esophagectomy

Identifiers

PMID42860495

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