Stanford’s Thoracic Surgery Division Receives Top Rating for Esophagectomy from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons
by Roxanna Van Norman
December 4, 2024
Stanford’s Division of Thoracic Surgery has earned a distinguished three-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for outcomes following esophagectomy – considered the most complex procedure performed in general thoracic surgery. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places the division among the top few centers for esophagectomy in the United States and Canada.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for our excellence in esophagectomy,” says Joseph Shrager, MD, Professor and Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery in the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. “This rating reflects our team’s high degree of experience and expertise with this complicated operation, and our unwavering commitment to delivering the highest standard of care for our patients.”
An esophagectomy is a procedure wherein the esophagus is removed for esophageal cancer and other rarer esophageal disorders. It can be done minimally invasively (robotic or video-assisted) or through open surgery, depending upon the disease and its severity. The operation is technically challenging and can result in high mortality and morbidity if performed by less experienced surgeons who complete only a few esophagectomies per year. Stanford’s thoracic surgeons perform between 40 and 70 esophagectomies each year, consistently achieving exceptional outcomes as demonstrated by the three-star rating.
The society’s General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD) star rating system is one of the most highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, evaluating outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the United States and Canada. Ratings are derived by testing whether the participant’s composite or domain score is significantly different from the overall STS average for esophagectomy performed by GTSD participants. Notably, GTSD participants include the vast majority of the highest volume and most reputable thoracic surgery programs in the United States.
The STS GTSD Public Reporting offers a comparison of GTSD and national outcomes, demonstrating the high performance of GTSD participants. The latest three-star rating for Stanford’s esophagectomy outcomes is based upon audited data submitted to the GTSD covering a three-year period from 2021 to 2024.
Dr. Shrager and his team of seven thoracic surgeons have extensive experience operating not only for esophageal cancer but also for lung cancer and mediastinal tumors – all with the lowest risk and the greatest chance of cure. “I am proud of the level of dedication, skill, and kindness that our thoracic surgeons and other providers are able to offer our patients who come to us with these difficult problems. They are greatly deserving of this STS three-star rating,” he says.
