Multimodality therapy for esophageal cancer.
Over the past decade and a half, several strategies have been developed to improve the survival of patients with esophageal cancer. Two strategies employ either neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery to improve local-regional control and decrease the incidence of distant metastases. A third strategy uses nonsurgical therapy as definitive treatment for patients without metastatic disease. Single-institution pilot trials and randomized comparative trials have been conducted evaluating each approach. The rationale for these trials, results, and current recommendations are presented.
Forastiere
A A
AA
Department of Oncology and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Heitmiller
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RF
Kleinberg
L
L
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant