The Role of Pre-Assessment in Oesophageal Cancer Surgery

N figures for oesophagectomy mortality in the United Kingdom have been steadily dropping (12% to 9%) since the late 1990’s.1 More recently, these figures have improved significantly as shown in the 2016 annual report of the UK National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit (NOGCA), revealing a post-oesophagectomy 90-day mortality rate of 3.2%.2 Despite this, surgical treatment for oesophageal cancer still carries significant morbidity, often quoted up to 64%.3 While centres of excellence maintain high standards of surgery and improved surgical techniques, with minimally invasive techniques potentially reducing physiological stresses on patients, we are perhaps being less conservative in our selection of patients for surgery; all having varying influences on the overall risks.