RT Book, Section A1 Krasna, Mark J. A2 Sugarbaker, David J. A2 Bueno, Raphael A2 Colson, Yolonda L. A2 Jaklitsch, Michael T. A2 Krasna, Mark J. A2 Mentzer, Steven J. A2 Williams, Marcia A2 Adams, Ann SR Print(0) ID 1105839054 T1 Left Transthoracic Esophagectomy (Ellis) T2 Adult Chest Surgery, 2e YR 2015 FD 2015 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-178189-3 LK accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1105839054 RD 2024/10/15 AB The worldwide estimate for new cases of esophageal cancer was 482,300 in 2008.1 In 2012 over 17,500 new cases of esophageal cancer were diagnosed in the United States alone, with over 15,000 deaths. Despite advances in chemotherapeutic agents and radiation therapy, surgery remains the core component of treatment of this disease. Especially in early-stage disease, surgery is still offered as definitive therapy. The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has been increasing steadily in the United States.2,3 Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus develops predominantly in a segment of intestinal metaplasia, and thus the increased incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma translates into an increasingly prevalent disease in the distal third of the esophagus.4 Given the anatomic configuration of the esophagus within the thoracic cavity, no one surgical incision provides uniform access to the entire esophagus. The surgical approach therefore must be tailored to the individual patient, permitting adequate exposure to the diseased region of the esophagus with the least amount of invasiveness.