Percentage (%) of esophagus removed during surgery? Lower esophagus/ stomach junction.

Dunno if that is enough...
I would let your mom know that they can do wonders with this surgery and though it is a very tough recovery, the chance at survival is the focus. I would hate to think that if they didn't remove all that was needed it will creep back quickly! I have no idea how much is enough, but that is what the Docs are trained to do best. Survival is key, and if that means taking 100% to make it happen, it is so much better than the alternative.

Hugs to you and Mom!
-Michelle

LilChemoSmoker said:

Dunno if that is enough...
I would let your mom know that they can do wonders with this surgery and though it is a very tough recovery, the chance at survival is the focus. I would hate to think that if they didn't remove all that was needed it will creep back quickly! I have no idea how much is enough, but that is what the Docs are trained to do best. Survival is key, and if that means taking 100% to make it happen, it is so much better than the alternative.

Hugs to you and Mom!
-Michelle

Depends
My husband had the MIE at the end of August and the lower 1/3 of his esophagus and top 1/4 of his stomach were removed (approximately). I would think it would depend on exactly where the tumor is and how large it is that would determine how much of the esophagus is removed. The goal should be to remove the entire tumor and to have clean margins.

Laura

What I think
I would be worried a lot more about WHO is doing the surgery and where, as was noted in the other posts.
Here is why: They can take out 100%v of my esophagus and 100% of my stomach and I will still not survive.

So I would say make sure mom is being treated by the VERY BEST possible doctor(s), and let them take whatever they think makes for VERY safe margins! We are NOT doctors, and I have NO idea what a "safe margins" are, or how to know, as the cancer cells are a little too small to see, they are SOOO tiny, and they need to make sure they get all they can, and then do the post-op chemo for clean-up to get the errant cells before a recurrence is a certainty.

I don't mean this to sound nearly as sarcastic as it seems to to me, but I want your mom to make a FULL recovery. What so many here wouldn't give to have the surgery as even an option. She is blessed and I pray she makes a full recovery and that they get all they can-and then some.

God bless you and your mom.
-Eric

My Results
My tumor was where the esophagus meets the stomach. I had MIE surgery in December 2010 and they took out two thirds of my esophagus and portion of my upper stomach. They do that to eliminate as much as they can to reduce the risk of leaving cancer cells after the surgery. It sounds to me like your mother is getting the standard approach because others I have talked to with a similar tumor had the same thing. Tell your mother that it's important to get the cancer out. She'll end up with a smaller stomach but it's something we can live with when we consider the alternative.

Getting an experienced surgeon that can do the surgery MIE is the safest way to go.

Jim

chemosmoker said:

What I think
I would be worried a lot more about WHO is doing the surgery and where, as was noted in the other posts.
Here is why: They can take out 100%v of my esophagus and 100% of my stomach and I will still not survive.

So I would say make sure mom is being treated by the VERY BEST possible doctor(s), and let them take whatever they think makes for VERY safe margins! We are NOT doctors, and I have NO idea what a "safe margins" are, or how to know, as the cancer cells are a little too small to see, they are SOOO tiny, and they need to make sure they get all they can, and then do the post-op chemo for clean-up to get the errant cells before a recurrence is a certainty.

I don't mean this to sound nearly as sarcastic as it seems to to me, but I want your mom to make a FULL recovery. What so many here wouldn't give to have the surgery as even an option. She is blessed and I pray she makes a full recovery and that they get all they can-and then some.

God bless you and your mom.
-Eric

Clean marginS
While I am not a physician, I do have a little bit of experience in the scientific field and feel that I can answer this question. A clean margin is determined microscopically in the pathology lab. The surgeon will take a very thin slice of tissue during surgery. This tissue is sent to the pathology lab for immediate analysis. I believe that this specimen is further sliced down so that it is approximately I cell width wide. The specimen may also be stained with a dye that attached only to cancer cells. This is then examined under the microscope to determine if any cancer cells are present. The results are immediately given to the surgeon who then knows whether or not he needs to remove more of the esophagus. This is performed repeatedly until the surgeon is satisfied. Yes, it actually takes place during surgery.

Hope this helps.
Laura