Table 2.
Characteristics of included studies.
| No | First Author | Year of Publication | Study Design | Country | Number of Patients | Inclusion Period | 2- or 3-Field Lymphadenectomy | Lymph Node Classification System Used | Use of Immunohistochemistry Staining | MINORS Score | How Detailed Are the Locations of Lymph Node Metastases Described? | How Are the Locations of Nodal Metastases Reported? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S. Sharma [22] | 1994 | Retrospective study | Japan | 70 | 1985–1991 | 3-field | No standard classification used | NR | 10 | Description of several stations in cervical, thoracic, and abdominal regions. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per station. |
| 2 | C. van de Ven [23] | 1999 | Prospective observational study | Belgium | 37 | 1994–1998 | 3-field | No standard classification used | NR | 11 | Description of several stations in cervical, thoracic, and abdominal regions. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per region. |
| 3 | H. Igaki [24] | 2001 | Retrospective study | Japan | 96 | 1986–1998 | 3-field | No standard classification used | NR | 8 | No description of stations. Cervical, upper mediastinal, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal, perigastric, and celiac regions described. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per region. Numbers per station were not provided. |
| 4 | S.M. Dresner [25] | 2001 | Retrospective study | United Kingdom | 104 | 1996–1999 | 2-field | No standard classification used | NR | 10 | Description of stations in lower thoracic and abdominal regions. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported for the abdominal region. Numbers per station were not provided. |
| 5 | J. Chen [26] | 2009 | Retrospective study | China | 1850 | 1993–2006 | 3-field | JES | H&E | 12 | Description of stations according to JES in cervical, upper mediational, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal and abdominal region. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per region and station. |
| 6 | Y. Tachimori [27] | 2011 | Retrospective study | Japan | 356 | 2001–2005 | 3-field | No standard classification used | NR | 10 | No description of stations. Cervical, upper mediastinal, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal, perigastric and celiac regions described. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per region. Numbers per station were not provided. |
| 7 | C. Castoro [7] | 2011 | Retrospective study | Italy | 248 | 1992–2007 | 2-field and 3-field | No standard classification used | H&E and PAS | 11 | Description of stations in cervical, thoracic and abdominal regions. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per station.* |
| 8 | H. Li [28] | 2012 | Retrospective study | China | 200 | 2000–2010 | 3-field | No standard classification used | H&E | 11 | No description of stations. Cervical, mediastinal, recurrent laryngeal nerve and abdominal regions described. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per region and the recurrent laryngeal nerve station. |
| 9 | S. Kosugi [29] | 2013 | Retrospective study | Japan | 86 | 1992–2011 | 3-field | JES | NR | 11 | Description of stations according to JES in cervical, upper mediational, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal, perigastric, and suprapancreatic regions. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per station. |
| 10 | J. Cheng [30] | 2013 | Retrospective study | China | 1893 | 2003–2011 | 2-field and 3-field | JES | H&E | 9 | Description of stations according to JES in cervical, upper mediational, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal, and abdominal region. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per region and per a selected number of stations. |
| 11 | Z. Lin [31] | 2016 | Prospective observational study | China | 260 | 2009–2013 | 3-field | AJCC | H&E | 13 | Description of stations according to AJCC in the thoracic and abdominal region. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per station. |
| 12 | Y. Dong [32] | 2015 | Retrospective study | China | 3587 | 2000–2014 | 2-field and 3-field | JES | NR | 10 | Description of stations according to JES in the cervical, upper mediastinal, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal, and abdominal regions. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per region. Numbers per station were not provided.* |
| 13 | X. Duan [33] | 2017 | Retrospective study | China | 136 | 2014–2016 | 2-field and 3-field | No standard classification used | NR | 11 | Description of stations in thoracic and abdominal regions. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per station. |
| 14 | S. Park [34] | 2018 | Prospective observational study | Korea | 29 | 2014–2018 | 3-field | JES | H&E | 10 | Description of stations according to JES in the cervical, upper mediastinal, middle mediastinal, lower mediastinal, and abdominal regions. | Number of patients with resected and positive lymph nodes reported per station. |
Studies are shown in chronological order; JES = Japan Esophageal Society; AJCC = American Joint Committee on Cancer; * Partly combined locations of the tumor in displayed data; H&E = hematoxylin & eosin; PAS = periodic acid-Schiff; NR = not reported; MINORS score ranges from 0 to 16 for non-comparative studies with 16 being the ideal score.