TABLE 1.
Baseline and treatment characteristics of all patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery, as compared between the COVID-19 pandemic cohort (1 March 2020–31 May 2020) and the control cohort (1 October 2020–29 February 2020)
| Characteristics | COVID-19 pandemic group [N = 139] | Control cohort [N = 168] | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years [median (IQR)] | 66 (58–71) | 67 (60–73) | 0.165 |
| Male sex | 116 (83.5) | 141 (83.9) | 0.911 |
| BMI >25 | 49.3 (68) | 100 (59.5) | 0.073 |
| ASA score | 0.015 | ||
| 1 | 14 (10.1) | 37 (22.0) | |
| 2 | 81 (58.3) | 90 (53.6) | |
| 3 | 44 (31.7) | 39 (23.2) | |
| 4 | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.2) | |
| WHO performance status | 0.431 | ||
| 0 | 75 (54.0) | 86 (51.2) | |
| 1 | 48 (34.5) | 62 (36.9) | |
| 2 | 12 (8.6) | 15 (8.9) | |
| 3 | 2 (1.4) | 0 (0.0) | |
| 4 | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Missing | 1 (0.7) | 5 (3.0) | |
| Charlson comorbidity index | 0.403 | ||
| 0 | 9 (6.5) | 5 (3.0) | |
| 1 | 24 (17.3) | 26 (15.5) | |
| 2 | 31 (22.3) | 49 (29.2) | |
| 3 | 36 (25.9) | 29 (17.3) | |
| 4+ | 39 (28.0) | 59 (35.0) | |
| Comorbidities | 0.254 | ||
| Myocardial infarction | 6 (4.3) | 7 (4.2) | |
| Congestive heart failure | 0 (0.0) | 0 (00) | |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 14 (10.1) | 14 (8.3) | |
| Diabetes mellitus (uncomplicated) | 21 (15.1) | 16 (9.5) | |
| Moderate to severe renal disease | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.2) | |
| Multiple | 4 (2.9) | 12 (7.1) | |
| Histology | 0.672 | ||
| Adenocarcinoma | 108 (77.7) | 135 (80.4) | |
| Squamous cell carcinoma | 28 (20.1) | 30 (17.9) | |
| Other | 3 (2.2) | 2 (1.2) | |
| Clinical T stage | 0.416 | ||
| cT1 | 7 (5.0) | 8 (4.8) | |
| cT2 | 13 (9.4) | 23 (13.7) | |
| cT3 | 106 (76.3) | 124 (73.8) | |
| cT4 | 3 (2.2) | 10 (6.0) | |
| cTx | 6 (4.3) | 10 (6.0) | |
| Missing | 4 (2.9) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Clinical N stage | 0.887 | ||
| cN0 | 33 (23.7) | 44 (26.2) | |
| cN1 | 30 (21.6) | 33 (19.6) | |
| cN2 | 18 (12.9) | 27 (16.1) | |
| cN3 | 3 (2.3) | 4 (2.4) | |
| cNx | 55 (39.6) | 60 (35.7) | |
| Neoadjuvant therapy | 0.958 | ||
| Chemotherapy | 36 (25.9) | 46 (27.4) | |
| Chemoradiotherapy | 77 (55.4) | 91 (54.2) | |
| Surgical approach | 0.280 | ||
| Open | 35 (25.2) | 40 (23.8) | |
| Minimally invasive | 104 (74.8) | 125 (74.4) | |
| Minimally invasive converted to open | 0 (0.0) | 3 (1.8) | |
| Esophagectomy | 0.705 | ||
| Transhiatal | 3 (2.2) | 4 (2.4) | |
| Transthoracic | 119 (85.6) | 138 (82.1) | |
| Thoracophrenicolaparotomy | 17 (12.2) | 26 (15.5) |
Data are expressed as n (%) unless otherwise specified
ASA American Society of Anesthesiologists, BMI body mass index, COVID-19 coronavirus disease 2019, IQR interquartile range