BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) possesses a high degree of malignancy and exhibits poor therapeutic outcomes and prognosis. However, its pathogenesis remains unclear. With the development of macrogene sequencing technology, changes in the intestinal flora have been found to be highly related to the development of EC, although discrepancies and controversies remain in this research area.
METHODS: We comprehensively searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane\'s Central Controlled Trials Register and the Scientific Network\'s database search projects based on systematically reviewed preferred reporting projects and meta-analyses. We used Engauge Digitizer for data extraction and Stata 15.1 for data analysis. In addition, we used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for grade grading and forest and funnel plots, sensitivity, and Egger and Beggar tests to evaluate the risk of bias.
RESULTS: This study included 10 studies that assessed stool, tumor, and nontumor esophageal mucosa (gastroscopy and surgical resection) samples from 527 individuals, including 273 patients with EC and 254 healthy control group. We observed remarkable differences in microbial diversity in EC patients compared to healthy controls. The Chao1 index (46.01 vs. 42.67) was significantly increased in EC patients, whereas the Shannon index (14.90 vs. 19.05), ACE (39.24 vs. 58.47), and OTUs(28.93 vs. 70.10) were significantly lower. At the phylum level, the abundance of Bacteroidetes (37.89 vs. 32.77) increased significantly, whereas that of Firmicutes (37.63 vs. 38.72) decreased significantly; the abundance of Clostridium and Verruciformis increased, while that of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria decreased to varying degrees. The abundance of Bacteroides (8.60 vs. 15.10) and Streptococcaceae (15.08 vs. 27.05) significantly reduced in EC.
CONCLUSIONS: According to our meta-analysis, in patients with EC, the Chao1 index increased, whereas the Shannon and the OTUs decreased. At the phylum level, the abundance of Firmicutes decreased significantly, whereas that of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria increased significantly. At the genus/family level, the abundance of Bacteroidaceae, Prevotellaceae and Streptococcaceae decreased significantly, whereas that of Veillonellaceae increased. This meta-analysis identified changes in gut microbiota in patients with EC; however, its conclusions were inconsistent.

The effect of anastomotic leakage, in patients who underwent surgery for carcinoma of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction, on overall survival (OS) is a debated and controversial topic. The aim of this systematic review was to clarify the impact of anastomotic leakage on long-term survival of patients with esophageal cancer undergoing esophagectomy. A systematic literature review was carried out from 2000 to 2022. We chose articles reporting data from patients who underwent surgery for carcinoma of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction. Data regarding 1-, 3- and 5-year OS were analyzed. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria, yielding a total of 9,279 patients. Analyzing data from selected studies, anastomotic leakage was found to be associated with decreased OS in 5,456 cases while in the remaining 3,823 it had no impact on long term survival (p<0.05). However, this result did not emerge from the other studies considered in the systematic review. Anastomotic leakage is a severe postoperative complication, which seems to have an impact on overall survival. However, the topic remains debated and not supported by all case series included in this systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) or chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) are accepted standards of care for the management of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction.
CONCLUSIONS: The MRC-OEO2 study established the role of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant cisplatin/fluoropyrimidine. More recently, the FLOT-AIO4 study demonstrated the superiority of perioperative FLOT chemotherapy (5FU, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel) compared to ECX (epirubicin, cisplatin, and capecitabine) regime. The results from the pivotal CROSS study established neoadjuvant CRT as a new standard of care in OG cancer. The survival benefits observed in FLOT and CROSS studies are similar [FLOT - hazard ratio 0.75 (0.62-0.92); CROSS - 0.741 (0.55-0.98)].
CONCLUSIONS: Both nCT and nCRT have been shown to be associated with survival benefit compared to surgery alone. We have performed a comprehensive review of the available evidence to define the optimum treatment algorithm and identify specific patient sub-groups who may be appropriate for the use of one or more of these neoadjuvant options.

The best pattern of neoadjuvant therapy for resectable locoregional esophageal cancer has not been determined. Our study evaluated the efficacy and postoperative events of different treatments using the Bayesian network meta-analysis.
We systematically tracked randomized clinical trials from the Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. The following treatments were included: neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery (NCRT + S), neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery (NCT + S), neoadjuvant radiotherapy followed by surgery (NRT + S), and surgery alone (S). The Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tools were used to assess the quality of included trials. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival or disease-free survival (PFS/DFS) were assessed through hazard ratios (HR). Locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis, postoperative mortality, and postoperative morbidity were assessed through odds ratios (OR). These outcomes were compared between different treatments through Bayesian network meta-analysis.
Twenty trials with 4384 patients were included. Compared with S, only NCRT + S could significantly improve OS for patients with esophageal cancer (HR = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68-0.88). NCRT + S and NCT + S significantly improved PFS/DFS compared with S (NCRT + S vs. S, HR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.63-0.81; NCT + S vs. S, HR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.97). NCRT + S significantly reduced both locoregional recurrence (OR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.51-0.88) and distant metastasis (OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.45-0.90) compared with S. There were no differences in postoperative morbidity between the four treatments. However, NCRT + S also increased postoperative mortality compared with S (OR = 1.77, 95% CI 1.09-2.82) and NCT + S (OR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.11-3.51).
NCRT + S is the most efficient neoadjuvant treatment for resectable locoregional esophageal cancer. However, NCRT + S increases the risk of postoperative mortality but not morbidity.

BACKGROUND: For resectable esophageal cancer (EC), it remains controversial whether to place percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) before the curative surgery to provide nutritional support during the neoadjuvant therapy.
OBJECTIVE: To compare surgical outcomes for patients who received preoperative PEG and those without PEG placement (No-PEG) insertion prior to surgery in a potentially operable EC.
METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify randomized and non-randomized studies comparing PEG and No-PEG groups.
RESULTS: Four retrospective studies with a total number of 1,027 patients were identified and included in this meta-analysis. The differences in anastomotic leakage, anastomotic stricture, morbidity, pulmonary complications, wound infection, and hospital stay were not statistically significant between the two groups. Operation time was significantly shorter in the PEG group. There was no PEG-related gastric conduit failure and no leak from the PEG site in the PEG group.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude preoperative PEG for resectable EC is a safe procedure with no adverse effect on the gastric tube construction and anastomosis, it can be selectively inserted for EC patients with marked weight loss and malnutrition or those at risk of developing malnutrition during neoadjuvant therapy.

Micronucleus (MN) assay has been widely used as a biomarker of DNA damage, chromosomal instability, cancer risk and accelerated aging in many epidemiological studies. In this narrative review and meta-analysis we assessed the association between lymphocyte micronuclei (MNi) and cancers of the skin, blood, digestive tract, and prostate. The review identified nineteen studies with 717 disease subjects and 782 controls. Significant increases in MRi for MNi were observed in the following groups: subjects with blood cancer (MRi = 3.98; 95 % CI: 1.98-7.99; p = 0.000) and colorectal cancer (excluding IBD) (MRi = 2.69; 95 % CI: 1.82-3.98, p < 0.000). The results of this review suggest that lymphocyte MNi are a biomarker of DNA damage and chromosomal instability in people with haematological or colorectal cancers. However, the MRi for lymphocyte MNi in subjects with cancers of skin, prostate, esophagus was not significantly increased. More case-control and prospective studies are warranted to further verify the observed trends and to better understand the role of lymphocyte MNi as a biomarker of cancer risk in blood, skin, digestive tract and prostate.

Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association between whole grains intake and digestive tract cancer risk; however, the results are still controversial. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the association.
Studies published before March 2020 were searched in database and other sources. The risk ratio (RR) with the 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled using fix or random-effects models.
This meta-analysis included 34 articles reporting 35 studies, 18 studies of colorectal cancer, 11 studies of gastric cancer and 6 studies of esophagus cancer, involving 2,663,278 participants and 28,921 cases. Comparing the highest-intake participants with the lowest-intake participants for whole grains, we found that the intake of whole grains were inversely related to colorectal cancer (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84-0.93, P < 0.001), gastric cancer (RR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.53-0.79, P < 0.001), esophagus cancer (RR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.44-0.67, P < 0.001), respectively. However, subgroup analysis of colorectal cancer found no significant association in the case-control studies and studies of sample size < 500, and subgroup analysis of gastric cancer found no significant association in the cohort studies and studies of American population. No study significantly affected the findings in the sensitivity analysis. No publication bias was found in the studies for colorectal cancer and esophagus cancer except in the studies for gastric cancer.
This meta-analysis provides further evidence that whole grains intake was associated with a reduced risk of digestive tract cancer. Our result supports the dietary guidelines that increase whole grains intake to reduce the risk of digestive tract cancer.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic esophageal stent placement is used to treat benign strictures, esophageal perforations, fistulas and for palliative therapy of esophageal cancer. Although stent placement is safe and effective method, complications are increasing the morbidity and mortality rate. We aimed to present a patient with small bowel perforation as a consequence of migrated esophageal stent.
METHODS: A 77-years-old woman was admitted with complaints of abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and vomiting for two days. Her past medical history included a pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic tumor 11 years ago, a partial esophagectomy for distal esophageal cancer 6 months ago and an esophageal stent placement for esophageal anastomotic stricture 2 months ago. On abdominal examination, there was generalized tenderness with rebound. Computed tomography showed the stent had migrated. Laparotomy revealed a perforation localized in the ileum due to the migrated esophageal stent. About 5cm perforated part of gut resected and anastomosis was done. The patient was exitus fifty-five days after operation due to sepsis.
CONCLUSIONS: Small bowel perforation is a rare but serious complication of esophageal stent migration. Resection of the esophagogastric junction facilitates the migration of the stent. The lumen of stent is often allow to the passage in the gut, so it is troublesome to find out the dislocation in an early period to avoid undesired results. In our case, resection of the esophagogastric junction was facilitated the migration of the stent and late onset of the symptoms delayed the diagnosis.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with esophageal stent have to follow up frequently to preclude delayed complications. Additional technical procedures are needed for the prevention of stent migration.