title: Has combined modality therapy improved the outlook in carcinoma of the esophagus?
abstract: Carcinoma of the esophagus or the gastroesophageal junction is uncommon, accounting for approximately 1% of all malignancies in the United States. Approximately 11,000 new cases and 10,400 deaths are estimated in 1994. The diagnosis is often made late in Western countries, thus T3, T4, and N-positive lesions are encountered frequently. Nearly 50% of patients have advanced incurable disease at the time of diagnosis. Therefore, the prognosis of patients with carcinoma of the esophagus remains poor and the overall 5-year survival rates are still under 10%. The answer to the question in the title is yes, at least for some patients, on a short-term basis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Houston.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Philip
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ajani
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010166:Palliative Care; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate