Abstract
This study evaluates short-term outcomes of oesophagectomy at a low-volume cancer hospital in Visakhapatnam, India. Fifteen patients who underwent oesophagectomy from 2020 to 2023 were analysed. The most common histology was squamous cell carcinoma. The mean age was 55 years and the majority were male. The common approaches used were open transhiatal and transthoracic oesophagectomy. The mean operative time was 9.5 h, and the mean hospital stay was 15.92 days. There were no perioperative deaths, but complications included pulmonary issues, vocal cord paralysis, anastomotic leaks, chyle leaks and wound infections. Higher volume centres tend to have better outcomes after oesophagectomy. However, factors other than volume like patient selection, ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) protocols, specialized critical care and trained multidisciplinary teams also impact outcomes. At our centre, though a low-volume hospital, proper patient selection, prehabilitation and a collaborative team approach helped achieve acceptable results. We recommend developing consensus on defining low- and high-volume centres for oesophagectomy in the Indian context, based on disease burden, resources and constraints. Overall, there is a lack of Indian data comparing outcomes between low and high-volume centres for oesophagectomy.