Dr van Berge Henegouwen discloses a financial relationship with Stryker, Olympus, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and Mylan; Dr Gisbertz with Olympus and Medtronic.

Aim The objectives of this study were to confirm the association of textbook outcome (TO) and overall long-term survival after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, to investigate the relationship of TO and recurrence rates and to identify clinicopathological predictors for not achieving TO. Background & Methods Despite current improvements in the multimodal treatment of esophageal cancer, surgery remains the key component. Therefore, it is essential to optimize the surgical procedure and to pursue the highest surgical quality. TO is a composite measure of ten perioperative parameters reflecting the quality of surgical care concerning esophagectomy. All patients with esophageal cancer who underwent a transthoracic or transhiatal esophagectomy with curative intent in two tertiary referral centers in The Netherlands between 2007-2016 were included. Patients with a carcinoma in situ, patients undergoing salvage or emergency procedure and patients that applied for opt-out were excluded. Clinicopathological predictors for not achieving TO were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Survival was compared using Kaplan-Meier life-table estimates and cox regression. Results In total, 1057 patients were included. Over time, the percentage of patients who achieved TO increased from 28.9% in 2007 to 37.5% in 2016. BMI under 18.5, ASA score above one and age above 65 years were associated with a worse TO rate (OR 2.72 [1.02-7.24], ASA 2 OR 1.57 [1.13-2.17] and ASA 3+4 OR 2.33 [1.56-3.48], OR 1.387 [1.06-1.81], respectively), whereas neoadjuvant treatment predicted a better TO rate (OR 0.58 [0.41-0.81]). The median overall survival was 53 months (95% CI 42 – 63) for patients with TO and 35 months (95% CI 29 – 41) for patients without TO; resulting in an overall survival benefit of 18 months (HR 0.759, 95% CI 0.636 – 0.906, P = 0.002). The recurrence rates between TO and no-TO differed, but was not statistically significant (47.1% vs 42.8%, P = 0.177). Conclusion BMI less than 18.5, ASA-score higher than one and age older than 65 were characteristics associated with not achieving TO. Neoadjuvant therapy was associated with a better TO rate. Achieved TO resulted in a better overall five-year survival indicating the importance of pursuing TO.