Surgical resection of esophagogastric junction stromal tumor: How to protect the cardiac function

BACKGROUND Various surgical procedures have been described for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) at the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) close to the Z-line. However, surgery for EGJ-GIST involving Z-line has been rarely reported. AIM To introduce a novel technique called conformal resection (CR) for open resection of EGJ-GIST involving Z-line. METHODS In this retrospective study, 43 patients having GISTs involving Z-line were included. The perioperative outcomes of patients receiving CR (n = 18) was compared with that of proximal gastrectomy (PG) (n = 25). RESULTS CR was successfully performed in all the patients with negative microscopic margins. The mean operative time, time to first passage of flatus, and postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the CR group (P < 0.05), while the intraoperative blood loss was similar in the two groups. The postoperative gastroesophageal reflux as diagnosed by esophageal 24-h pH monitoring and quality of life at 3 mo were significantly in favor of CR compared to PG (both P < 0.001). The 5-year disease-free survival between the two groups was similar (P = 0.163). The cut- off value for the determination of CR or PG was 7.0 mm above the Z-line (83.33% sensitivity, 84.00% specificity, 83.72% accuracy). CONCLUSION CR is safe and feasible for EGJ-GIST located within 7.0 mm above the Z-line.

Automated summary

Conformal resection (CR) is a safe and feasible surgical technique for esophagogastric junction gastrointestinal stromal tumors located within 7.0 mm above the Z-line, showing advantages in terms of shorter operative time, postoperative recovery time, and hospital stay, as well as better postoperative gastroesophageal reflux and quality of life compared to proximal gastrectomy.