Recently, the team led by Professor Zhang Yong from the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital (FAH) of Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU) achieved another technical breakthrough by successfully completing Northwestern China’s first independently performed cervical-abdominal synchronous dual single-port minimally invasive radical esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. The team previously carried out Northwestern China’s first cervical-abdominal dual single-port minimally invasive radical esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in July 2025. This newly developed procedure delivers threefold upgrades in minimally invasive approach, procedural efficiency, and patient comfort, offering patients with esophageal diseases a higher-quality diagnostic and therapeutic option.
Radical esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is technically demanding, and conventional procedures are associated with pain points such as multiple incisions and prolonged operative time, resulting in a lengthy postoperative recovery period and substantial physical and psychological burden for patients. Focusing on the clinical needs for minimally invasive and comfort-oriented medical care, Professor Zhang Yong’s team, while ensuring oncologic radicality, developed a procedure featuring no chest incision and small cervical and abdominal incisions of 3-5 cm each. The team also innovatively adopted a cervical-abdominal synchronous operating mode and integrated the principles of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), markedly optimizing the entire perioperative and rehabilitation process.
This operation took just over two hours, representing a one-third reduction compared with conventional minimally invasive thoracoscopic/laparoscopic surgery, with clear clinical advantages. The ultra-minimally invasive design minimizes surgical trauma, alleviates postoperative pain, and reduces the risk of complications. Cervical-abdominal synchronous manipulation streamlines the workflow and improves efficiency, thereby mitigating surgical stress. With ERAS implemented throughout, the protocol enabled no tubes and no dietary restrictions after surgery, allowing patients to ambulate earlier and resume normal oral intake sooner, thereby substantially shortening the recovery period.
The successful completion of this procedure represents a major breakthrough by the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the FAH of XJTU in the field of minimally invasive surgery. It provides a scalable practical pathway for minimally invasive treatment of esophageal diseases and injects new momentum into the FAH’s development.
