Division of Esophageal Surgery

Staff

Chief Yasuhiro Tsubosa, M.D., Ph.D.	Deputy Chief Shuhei Mayanagi, M.D., Ph.D.	Senior Staff Masazumi Inoue, M.D.	Senior Staff Kazunori Tokizawa, M.D.	Kanna Kibe, M.D.

Features of Esophageal Surgery

Esophagus is a tube-like organ functioning as a conveyer of food from mouth down to stomach. Cancer developed in the mucosa covering over the internal surface of the tube is called “esophageal cancer. “ Patients of the disease are found more in men than women, which is a fact proven by five-times-bigger rates of male patients for both morbidity and death than female ones. Treatments of the disease include surgery, chemotherapy (therapy using anti-cancer drugs), endoscopic therapy and radiotherapy, and they are often combined depending on the stage of disease progression. Among them, the Division of Esophageal Surgery handles surgeries.

Features and Therapeutic Strategies of the Division at the SCC

Surgeons with ample experiences and knowledge about esophagus perform operations.

Operational methods can vary depending of the location and the progression of the cancer, because esophagus is an elongated organ spanning for about 25cm from neck to chest. At this division, experienced surgeons who are the experts of esophagus perform operations for complete resections of cancers.

Thoracoscopic surgeries and robot-assisted surgeries, which would give patients far lower physical impacts, are widely adopted. In addition to a conventional surgical procedure, a thoracotomy for cancer resection, there are other innovative methods of surgery including “thoracoscopic surgery” and “robot-assisted surgery,” which are to insert a camera (thoracoscopy) with surgical tools through a tiny incision in the chest to reach the surgical field. They are known as minimally invasive procedures to a patient. In recent years, as thorascoscopic esophagectomy as well as robot-assisted surgery have been officially listed as applicable for the Japanese public health insurance coverage, they are often adopted at this division.

In addition to a conventional surgical procedure, a thoracotomy for cancer resection, there is another innovative method of surgery called “thoracoscopic surgery,” which is to insert a thoracoscopy with a surgical instrument through a tiny hole in the chest to reach the surgical field. It has been widely known as minimal invasive esophagectomy to a patient. In recent years, since “thorascoscopic esophagectomy” has been officially listed as applicable for the Japanese public health insurance coverage, it’s been often adopted at this division.

The best cancer therapy is always chosen, with no regard to an operation.

There are various therapies for esophageal cancers, including endoscopic therapy, chemotherapy (therapy with anti-cancer drugs) and radiotherapy as well as surgical operation, and the choice always depends on the progression. At the SCC, there is a standard in treatment called “the Esophageal Cancer Therapy Guidelines,” which is a cornerstone of the decision-making at the medical conference involving the Divisions of Esophageal Surgery, Gastrointestinal Oncology, Endoscopy and Radiation Oncology in order to customize the best treatment plan for each patient.

Collaboration with specialists in various fields prevents postoperative complications.

Esophageal surgeries are performed by a highly-qualified medical team involving medical staff and nurses who always reach consensus before each operation. Especially for prevention of postoperative complications, preoperative nutrition control, rehabilitation of respiratory organs and oral care are being promoted, all of which result in the downward trend of the complication rates for ruptured suture and postoperative pneumonia. At the SCC, the mortality rate after complete resections of esophageal cancers is as low as about 0.5%, which is one of the positive outcomes of this team medicine, while it is still 2 or 3% on average in the nation. The nutrition control is especially focused on from the very beginning when the patient visits the SCC for the first time, through the whole course of the cancer treatment, to even after discharging.

New cancer treatments are being developed.

Efforts are being made for development of new ways of diagnosis and treatment for esophageal cancer at this division, participating in a multicenter study with “the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG).” We are working hard to develop a new treatment method, to calculate treatment effects and to establish a choice method for an optimal therapy for each case of esophageal cancer.

A Word from the Division Staff

It’s been said that esophageal cancer is difficult to be completely cured, but there have been more cases of complete cure than before due to early detections. Moreover, advanced cancer treatments have been increasing potentials for complete cure even for the advanced-staged cases. We highly recommend visiting us soon when you are annoyed by such symptoms as feeling as if the food was stuck in the chest, smarting there, and heartburn. We always try to give a patient thorough explanation on the disease condition until getting him/her understand it well, and offer an optimal cancer treatment. We would like to put our minds together with the patients, so that we can fight well against the disease.

Fields of Expertise, Professional Memberships and Credentials

Yasuhiro Tsubosa, M.D., Ph.D., Chief

Fields of Expertise

esophageal cancer

Professional Memberships and Credentials

Specialist and Supervisory Doctor Certified by the Japan Surgical Society

Certified Doctor for Surgical Treatment for Gastroenterological Cancer, Specialist and Supervisory Doctor Certified by the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery

Certified Doctor and Specialist for Esophageal Surgery, Councilor, Commissioner, the Japan Esophageal Society

The Japanese Society of Clinical Oncology

Interim Supervisory Doctor and General Clinical Oncologist Certified by the Japanese Board of Cancer Therapy

The Japanese Gastric Cancer Association
The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery
The Japanese Cancer Association
The Japan Broncho-Esophagological Society
The Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery
The Japanese Surgical Association

The Japanese Society for Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition

Facilitator, the Society of Medical Conflict Management

The International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus

Shuhei Mayanagi, M.D., Ph.D., Deputy Chief

Fields of Expertise

esophageal cancer

Professional Memberships and Credentials

Specialist Certified by the Japan Surgical Society

Certified Doctor for Surgical Treatment for Gastroenterological Cancer, Specialist and
Supervisory Doctor Certified by the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery

Certified Doctor, Specialist for Esophageal Surgery, Councilor, the Japan Esophageal Society

The Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery

The Japan Society of Clinical Oncology

General Clinical Oncologist Certified by the Japanese Board of Cancer Therapy

The Japanese Gastric Cancer Association
The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery

The Japanese Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism

Masazumi Inoue, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Staff

Fields of Expertise

gastroenterological surgery (specializing in surgical treatment for esophageal cancer)

Professional Memberships and Credentials

Specialist Certified by the Japan Surgical Society

Specialist and Certified Doctor for Surgical Treatment for Gastroenterological Cancer, the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery

Certified Doctor for Esophagus, Councilor, the Japan Esophageal Society

General Clinical Oncologist Certified by the Japanese Board of Cancer Therapy

The Japan Society of Clinical Oncology

The Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery (Expertise Certified for Esophagus)

The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery
The Japanese Gastric Cancer Association
The Japan Surgical Association

Specialist Certified by the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society

Completed the Educational Seminar for NST Doctor, the Japanese Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Therapy

The Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine

Certified Doctor for H. Pylori Infection, the Japanese Society for Helicobacter Research

Kazunori Tokizawa, M.D., Senior Staff

Field of Expertise

gastroenterological surgery (specializing in surgical treatment for esophageal cancer)

Professional Memberships and Credentials

Specialist Certified by the Japan Surgical Association

Specialist and Certified Doctor for Surgical Treatment for Gastroenterological Cancer, the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery

The Japanese Society for Endoscopic Surgery
The Japan Esophageal Society
The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery
The Japanese Gastric Cancer Association
The Japan Surgical Association
The Japanese Cancer Association
The Japanese Society of Clinical Oncology

Specialist Certified by the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society

Kanna Kibe, M.D.

Field of Expertise

gastroenterological surgery

Professional Memberships and Credentials

The Japan Surgical Association
The Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery
The Japan Esophageal Society
The Japanese Society for Endoscopic Surgery
The Japanese Society of Clinical Oncology
The Japan Surgical Association

Registered Anesthesiologist, the Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists