The use of intraoperative targeted imaging to detect lymph node metastases is promising and will be an important step forward in personalizing the surgical treatment of patients with esophageal cancer.

The most suitable biomarker for targeted imaging techniques in lymph node metastases of esophageal adenocarcinoma remains unclear.

Histological evaluation shows that epithelial cell adhesion molecule and carcinoembryonic antigen are suitable targets for image-guided esophageal surgery, both before and after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.