The association between hospital case-volume and postoperative outcomes after esophageal cancer surgery: A population-based retrospective cohort study.

In total, 11, 346 esophageal cancer surgeries in 122 hospitals were analyzed. In-hospital mortality in the high-, medium-, and low-volume centers were 3.4%, 6.4%, and 11.1%, respectively. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in low- volume (adjusted odds ratio, 3.91; confidence interval, 3.18-4.80; p < 0.001) and medium volume (adjusted odds ratio, 2.21; confidence interval, 1.80-2.74, p < 0.001) centers compared to high-volume centers. Patients who received esophageal cancer surgery in a low-or medium-volume center also had higher 1-, 3-, and 5-year mortality compared to patients who received the surgery in a high-volume center. Conclusions Centers with lower case-volume showed higher in-hospital mortality and long-term mortality after esophageal cancer surgery.