Benign Esophageal Tumors
A benign esophageal tumor is any growth in the esophagus that is non-cancerous. Sometimes these tumors cause symptoms, and other times the patient does not have any symptoms, the tumor is discovered incidentally or by accident. Some of the tumors we see in this category include leiomyomas and esophageal duplication cysts.
Signs and symptoms:
- Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
- Indigestion or heartburn
- Cough
- Stridor or wheezing
- Vomiting blood
- Or a patient may be asymptomatic
Interventions:
The surgical approach to removal/resection depends on the kind of tumor and exact location. This is decided on a case by case basis. Typically this benign tumors are resected via VATS or robotic assisted thoracoscopy.
A video assisted surgery is a minimally invasive lung surgery where the surgeon creates multiple small incisions in the chest and uses a video camera that sees into the chest in order to perform the procedure. Performing a VATS procedure will accomplish the same anatomic dissection as an open thoracotomy approach.
Robot assisted thoracic surgery is a minimally invasive lung surgery similar to a VATS, but uses a unit (or “robot”) with multiple moveable arms that are controlled by the surgeon at a separate console.