Esophagectomy

Esophagectomy is the surgical removal of the lower two-thirds or nearly the entirety of the esophagus, along with the uppermost part of the stomach, and all of the surrounding lymph nodes. The stomach is then reshaped into a "new esophagus," brought up into the chest or the neck, and reconnected to the remaining portion of the esophagus.

The operation is technically challenging and can result in high mortality and morbidity if performed by less experienced surgeons who perform only a few esophagectomies per year. The thoracic surgeons at Stanford perform between 40 and 60 esophagectomies per year with exceptional outcomes. We perform all of the various, available esophagectomy techniques at Stanford, depending upon patient factors and the particular tumor's location, stage, and extensiveness: 

Ivor Lewis esophagectomy

Minimally invasive esophagectomy

Three incision esophagectomy

Transhiatal esophagectomy

The nursing staff on the thoracic surgical wards at Stanford is experienced and very knowledgeable in the postoperative care of patients who undergo esophagectomy, further enhancing patient recovery.

The broad experience and highly specialized training of Stanford’s thoracic surgeons allows them to offer comprehensive and high quality surgical care for patients with esophageal cancer. We have achieved outstanding surgical outcomes for esophageal cancer, making us a center of excellence for the treatment of this disease. 

Why choose Stanford?

Stanford is the highest volume and highest quality esophagectomy center in the San Francisco Bay Area. Stanford thoracic surgeons have performed 40-60 esophagectomies per year for each of the past several years. There has only been one postoperative death in the past 100 esophagectomies, and our combined morbidity/mortality outcomes, as reported by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, place our results in the top 15% of those hospitals (mainly major centers of excellence) who choose to report their results. We consider excellence in the surgical management of esophageal cancer, along with management of lung cancer, to be at the core of the mission of the Thoracic Surgery service at Stanford.

You will be treated at Stanford by thoracic surgeons who have received extensive, specialized training in the surgical management of esophageal cancer at some of the top medical centers in the country and who have continued since training to accumulate broad esophageal experience. We work together with oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and radiologists at the Stanford Cancer Center to provide a comprehensive approach to the treatment of esophageal carcinoma. Dr. Joseph Shrager is a surgical esophageal cancer specialist who is specially trained to perform esophagectomy with the lowest risk and the greatest chance of cure.