title: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy in patients with surgically treated esophageal cancer.
abstract: Over the past 10 years, 232 patients were treated at the East Carolina School of Medicine for cancer of the esophagus. Of these, 73 received neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy and subsequent surgical resection. The results in this group suggest improved cancer control, with 18 patients (25%) remaining free of recurrence 3 years after treatment, compared with 11 out of 159 patients (7%) in the group that was not treated with neoadjuvant therapy (p < 0.0001). The 5-year recurrence-free survival with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery was 16% (12/73) compared with 3% (5/159) with other types of therapy. Two protocols of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with subsequent surgery were compared: I: Split-course, once-a-day radiotherapy and concomitant cisplatinum/5-fluorouracil followed by esophagectomy. II: Accelerated, twice-a-day radiotherapy with concomitant triple chemotherapy using cisplatinum/5-fluorouracil/vinblastine followed by transhiatal extrathoracic esophagectomy. The survival rate was similar in the two groups of patients but the complication rate was higher in group II. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy and the techniques of transhiatal esophagectomy may have contributed to the improved results in the treatment of esophageal carcinoma. Accelerated radiotherapy with triple chemotherapy was more toxic and did not give better survival rates than split-course, once-a-day, conventional, fractionated-protracted radiotherapy combined with two drugs.
authors.affiliation: East Carolina University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Greenville, NC, USA. hvermund@rikshospitalet.no
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vermund
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Pories
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hillard
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Wiley
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Youngblood
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000009:adverse effects; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D016629:Esophagectomy; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D014747:Vinblastine; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil