Controversy and agreement of lymph node dissection in radical resection for esophageal cancer

Currently esophagectomy is still the main procedure for the treatment of esophageal cancer. Optimal lymph node dissection in esophagectomy is the most important link. However, the issues about lymphadenectomy have always been controversial, including two-field or three-field dissection, numbers of harvest lymph nodes and sentinel lymph node, while some consensuses on lymph node dissection are formed in clinical practice under controversy. Key words: Esophageal neoplasms; Radical resection; Surgical procedures, operative; Lymphadenectomy; Controversy; Agree-ment