Only a few series have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive
esophagectomy (MIE) for
esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and the benefits of this approach. This report describes the results of a pair-matched comparative study between minimally invasive and open
esophagectomy (OE) for
esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Patients were retrospectively matched in pairs for the following criteria: age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score, clinical TNM stage,
tumor location, and type of resection. A total of 97 patients undergoing MIE were compared with patients undergoing OE during the same period. Operative, postoperative, and oncologic outcomes were compared. Significantly less
bleeding was observed in the MIE group (P = 0.001). Transfusion was required for three patients in the MIE group and ten patients in the OE group (P = 0.044). Overall morbidity was similar in the two groups. The
hospital stay was significantly shorter for the patients undergoing MIE (P = 0.027). The
surgical margin and
tumor stage were not affected by MIE. The overall survival rates in the MIE group were 54% at 5 years and 46% in the OE group (P = 0.631). The disease-free survival rates in the MIE group were 45% at 5 years, 41% in the OE group (P = 0.704). In summary, MIE for
esophageal squamous cell carcinoma for selected patients gave a better postoperative outcome without oncologic consequences.