Launceston General Hospital

Literature review/rationale for project
* Oesophageal cancer is associated with a grim prognosis despite many advances in treatment. Oesophagectomy is a key component of the care of patients who are candidates for curative treatment, however it is associated with substantial morbidity.
* Several studies have suggested that oesophagectomies performed at higher volume tertiary centres are associated with lower morbidity and mortality than lower volume centres, and this has prompted changes to policy in countries such as Great Britain, Canada and the Netherlands with regards to the centralisation of these cases. A higher volume centre within Australia is likely to perform 6 or more procedures per year.
* Currently within Australia, centralisation on a large scale has not occurred. This has been limited in part by resource provision and geographical barriers. Therefore, oesophagectomies in Australia are still routinely performed in regional centres. However, there is a paucity of recent outcomes data from these centres.
Aims/objectives
* Retrospective review of oesophagectomies undertaken in a single regional centre in Tasmania, Australia over 10 years (January 2014 to December 2023)
* Assess outcomes (long and short-term complications and mortality) and compare to morbidity and mortality rates from larger international centres