Surgical Upper GI researcher group

Esophageal cancer is a serious condition, with approximately 2,500 people diagnosed each year in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, some of these cases are incurable. Only about 800 individuals are eligible for surgery. The current curative treatment for esophageal cancer consists of neoadjuvant or perioperative chemo(radio)therapy, followed by radical surgical resection of the primary tumor and a 2- or 3-field lymphadenectomy.

Gastric cancer is diagnosed in around 1,700 people per year in the Netherlands, and fewer than 500 of these patients qualify for surgery. Curative therapy for gastric cancer typically involves perioperative chemotherapy combined with radical gastrectomy and D2 lymphadenectomy.

The Amsterdam UMC is a tertiary referral center and one of the largest centers for esophageal and gastric cancer in Europe. Each year, approximately 250 esophago-gastric resections are performed, with the majority conducted using minimally invasive or robotic techniques.

The Upper GI surgical group is dedicated to improving care and treatment for esophago-gastric cancer patients. In 2016, the Esophageal and Gastric Cancer Fund (SLMK Fund) was established at the AMC Foundation to support research into effective treatments for esophageal and gastric cancer, as well as research focused on improving surgical techniques and quality of life after surgery. The SLMK Fund raises funds specifically for research into esophageal and gastric cancer.

Our primary research activities focus on improving outcomes after upper GI cancer surgery, developing less invasive and robotic techniques, optimizing neoadjuvant treatment regimens for esophageal and gastric cancer, and enhancing quality of life. Additionally, we are leveraging technological advances, such as imaging techniques (e.g., the use of fluorescence and MRI during surgery and staging) and artificial intelligence, to improve surgical procedures. These innovations are expected to enhance outcomes in terms of resectability, safety, and quality assurance.

Several research lines are currently underway, including TIGER (studying the distribution of lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer), OMEGA (omentum resection versus preservation), TUPEC (thoracic duct resection versus preservation), and studies on postoperative anastomotic leakage, vacuum-stenting. We are also focusing on the implementation of approved surgical quality assurance (SQA), as surgical quality significantly impacts both short- and long-term clinical outcomes. This underscores the importance of objective SQA for education, clinical practice, and research.

Group members

Group Members

  • Mark van Berge Henegouwen*
  • Donald van der Peet*
  • Suzanne Gisbertz*
  • Freek Daams*
  • Wietse Eshuis*
  • Kammy Keywani
  • Sofie Henckens
  • Jasmijn van Doesburg
  • Lisanne Pattynama
  • Hidde Overtoom
  • Dillen van der Aa
  • Mustafa Bektas

*Principal Investigator

                      Key publications

                      Straatman J, van der Wielen N, Cuesta MA, Daams F, Roig Garcia J, Bonavina L, Rosman C, van Berge Henegouwen MI, Gisbertz SS, van der Peet DL. Minimally Invasive Versus Open Esophageal Resection: Three-year Follow-up of the Previously Reported Randomized Controlled Trial: the TIME Trial. Ann Surg. 2017 Aug;266(2):232-236. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002171. PMID: 28187044.

                      Hagens ERC, van Berge Henegouwen MI, van Sandick JW, Cuesta MA, van der Peet DL, Heisterkamp J, Nieuwenhuijzen GAP, Rosman C, Scheepers JJG, Sosef MN, van Hillegersberg R, Lagarde SM, Nilsson M, Räsänen J, Nafteux P, Pattyn P, Hölscher AH, Schröder W, Schneider PM, Mariette C, Castoro C, Bonavina L, Rosati R, de Manzoni G, Mattioli S, Garcia JR, Pera M, Griffin M, Wilkerson P, Chaudry MA, Sgromo B, Tucker O, Cheong E, Moorthy K, Walsh TN, Reynolds J, Tachimori Y, Inoue H, Matsubara H, Kosugi SI, Chen H, Law SYK, Pramesh CS, Puntambekar SP, Murthy S, Linden P, Hofstetter WL, Kuppusamy MK, Shen KR, Darling GE, Sabino FD, Grimminger PP, Meijer SL, Bergman JJGHM, Hulshof MCCM, van Laarhoven HWM, Mearadji B, Bennink RJ, Annema JT, Dijkgraaf MGW, Gisbertz SS. Distribution of lymph node metastases in esophageal carcinoma [TIGER study]: study protocol of a multinational observational study. BMC Cancer. 2019 Jul 4;19(1):662. doi: 10.1186/s12885-019-5761-7. PMID: 31272485; PMCID: PMC6610993.

                      Kalff MC, van Berge Henegouwen MI, Baas PC, Bahadoer RR, Belt EJT, Brattinga B, Claassen L, Ćosović A, Crull D, Daams F, van Dalsen AD, Dekker JWT, van Det MJ, Drost M, van Duijvendijk P, Eshuis WJ, van Esser S, Gaspersz MP, Görgec B, Groenendijk RPR, Hartgrink HH, van der Harst E, Haveman JW, Heisterkamp J, van Hillegersberg R, Kelder W, Kingma BF, Koemans WJ, Kouwenhoven EA, Lagarde SM, Lecot F, van der Linden PP, Luyer MDP, Nieuwenhuijzen GAP, Olthof PB, van der Peet DL, Pierie JEN, Pierik EGJMR, Plat VD, Polat F, Rosman C, Ruurda JP, van Sandick JW, Scheer R, Slootmans CAM, Sosef MN, Sosef OV, de Steur WO, Stockmann HBAC, Stoop FJ, Voeten DM, Vugts G, Vijgen GHEJ, Weeda VB, Wiezer MJ, van Oijen MGH, Gisbertz SS. Trends in Distal Esophageal and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer Care: The Dutch Nationwide Ivory Study. Ann Surg. 2023 Apr 1;277(4):619-628. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005292. Epub 2021 Nov 11. PMID: 35129488.

                      van der Wielen N, Straatman J, Daams F, Rosati R, Parise P, Weitz J, Reissfelder C, Diez Del Val I, Loureiro C, Parada-González P, Pintos-Martínez E, Mateo Vallejo F, Medina Achirica C, Sánchez-Pernaute A, Ruano Campos A, Bonavina L, Asti ELG, Alonso Poza A, Gilsanz C, Nilsson M, Lindblad M, Gisbertz SS, van Berge Henegouwen MI, Fumagalli Romario U, De Pascale S, Akhtar K, Jaap Bonjer H, Cuesta MA, van der Peet DL. Open versus minimally invasive total gastrectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: results of a European randomized trial. Gastric Cancer. 2021 Jan;24(1):258-271. doi: 10.1007/s10120-020-01109-w. Epub 2020 Jul 31. Erratum in: Gastric Cancer. 2021 Jan;24(1):272. doi: 10.1007/s10120-020-01122-z. PMID: 32737637; PMCID: PMC7790799.

                      Keywani K, Eshuis WJ, Borgstein ABJ, van Det MJ, van Duijvendijk P, van Etten B, Grimminger PP, Heisterkamp J, Lagarde SM, Luyer MDP, Markar SR, Meijer SL, Pierie JPEN, Roviello F, Ruurda JP, van Sandick JW, Sosef M, Witteman BPL, de Steur WO, Lissenberg-Witte BI, van Berge Henegouwen MI, Gisbertz SS. Omentum preservation versus complete omentectomy in gastrectomy for gastric cancer (OMEGA trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2024 Sep 4;25(1):588. doi: 10.1186/s13063-024-08396-z. PMID: 39232781; PMCID: PMC11375919.

                        Keywords

                        Esophagectomy | gastrectomy | cornerstone | technical advances