Annual best practice meetings in the Netherlands led to a significant decrease in anastomotic leakage rates following esophagectomy for cancer.

• Anastomotic leakage rates decreased from 20.3% in 2017 to 14.0% by 2023 after implementing the meetings.
• Reductions in leakage were noted after meetings in 2019 (OR 0.65) and 2021 (OR 0.78), with improvements in both cervical and intrathoracic anastomoses.

Surgeons should consider engaging in peer-to-peer learning and adopt evidence-based protocols to enhance surgical outcomes and reduce complications.