Long-term survival after salvage resection of recurrent esophageal cancer with anterior mediastinal lymph node involvement: report of a case.

A 55-year-old man underwent subtotal esophagectomy with extended three-field lymph node dissection for squamous cell carcinoma of the middle thoracic esophagus (histological stage pT3N4(3b)M0, pStage IVa). About 9 months later, contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed recurrence in several lymph nodes in the anterior mediastinum and the right side of the neck. We treated the recurrence by dissecting the affected nodes, followed by chemoradiotherapy. At the time of writing, 5 years later, the patient was well, without any further evidence of recurrence. Although the indications for resection of recurrent esophageal cancer are controversial and we cannot generalize about the best treatment for these patients, this case highlights the possibility of using salvage surgical resection to treat recurrent esophageal cancer with anterior mediastinal lymph node involvement in selected patients.