Surgical Approach to Esophagectomy Post CheckMate 577: Do Lymph Nodes Matter if Everyone Gets Adjuvant Immunotherapy?

Following the results of the CheckMate 577 trial, the Food and Drug Administration approved adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer without a pathologic complete response following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and esophagectomy. This innovation in systemic therapy has rekindled the debate around the clinical value of an extended lymphadenectomy at the time of esophagectomy. In this article, we provide a review of the oncologic principles and potential risks and benefits of extended lymphadenectomy at the time of esophagectomy with acknowledgments to current and forthcoming innovations in thoracic surgery.