To investigate overall survival and length of stay (LOS) associated with differing management for high output (>1 L over 24 hours) leaks (HOCL) after cancer-related esophagectomy.

Although infrequent, chyle leak after esophagectomy is an event that can lead to significant perioperative sequelae. Low-volume leaks appear to respond to nonoperative measures, whereas HOCLs often require invasive therapeutic interventions.

From a prospective single-institution database, we retrospectively reviewed patients treated from 2001 to 2021 who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Within that cohort, we focused on a subgroup of patients who manifested a HOCL postoperatively. Clinicopathologic and operative characteristics were collected, including hospital LOS and survival data.

A total of 53/2299 patients manifested a HOCL. These were mostly males (77%), with a mean age of 62 years. Of this group, 15 patients received nonoperative management, 15 patients received prompt (<72 hours from diagnosis) interventional management, and 23 received late interventional management. Patients in the late intervention group had longer LOSs compared with early intervention (slope = 9.849, 95% CI: 3.431–16.267). Late intervention (hazard ratio: 4.772, CI: 1.384–16.460) and nonoperative management (hazard ratio: 4.731, CI: 1.294–17.305) were associated with increased mortality compared with early intervention. Patients with early intervention for HOCL had an overall survival similar to patients without chyle leaks in survival analysis.

Patients with HOCL should receive early intervention to possibly reverse the prognostic implications of this potentially detrimental complication.