Synchronous Thymoma and Esophageal Cancer Treated With Minimally Invasive Unilateral Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic...

Area of Science:

• Thoracic Surgery
• Surgical Oncology
• Gastrointestinal Oncology

Background:

• Synchronous neoplasms in adjacent organs present complex treatment challenges.
• Thymoma and esophageal cancer occurring simultaneously is a rare clinical scenario.
• A tailored, multi-disciplinary approach is crucial for managing multi-organ synchronous tumors.

Observation:

• A 68-year-old male patient presented with synchronous thymoma and advanced middle thoracic esophageal cancer.
• The patient received neoadjuvant chemotherapy for esophageal cancer.
• A concurrent resection of both thymoma and esophageal cancer was successfully performed using minimally invasive unilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic and laparoscopic surgery.

Findings:

• Minimally invasive unilateral simultaneous surgery for thymoma and esophageal cancer is a feasible and effective therapeutic strategy.
• Gastric conduit reconstruction via the posterior mediastinal route was utilized.
• The patient experienced no adverse events and was discharged on postoperative day 14.

Implications:

• This minimally invasive surgical approach offers curative potential with reduced invasiveness for synchronous thymoma and esophageal cancer.
• Posterior mediastinal gastric conduit reconstruction may reduce risks of invasion and radiation exposure.
• A proposed treatment strategy flow for adjacent multi-organ synchronous neoplasms can benefit complex oncological cases.