Lymphovascular and Perineural Invasion After Neoadjuvant Therapy in Esophageal Squamous Carcinoma

Lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion are unfavorable prognostic factors in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, the prevalence and prognostic importance of lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in these patients remains unclear.

We retrospectively reviewed specimens of 321 patients with pathologically diagnosed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in our institution from 2017 to 2020. Lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Survival was analyzed using the log-rank test and multivariable Cox regression analysis.

Lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion were present in 12.5% (n = 40) and 17.8% (n = 57) of resection specimens, respectively. Lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion were significantly more common in patients with advanced cancer (both P < .05). In the univariate analyses, lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion were associated with shorter overall survival and disease-free survival. Multivariable analysis revealed that lymphovascular invasion after neoadjuvant therapy was an independent adverse prognostic factor for overall survival and disease-free survival. Subgroup analyses showed that lymphovascular invasion could identify cases with worse overall survival or disease-free survival among node-negative patients, indicating the role of lymphovascular invasion in the precise staging of pN0 patients.

Lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion were significantly negatively correlated with overall survival and disease-free survival. Lymphovascular invasion was an independent prognostic predictor in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion should be considered in the histopathology workup for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.