title: Radiation therapy for limited-stage small-cell esophageal cancer.
abstract: Between 1985 and 1999, 20 patients with limited-stage small-cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SCEC) received radiation therapy at Tohoku University Hospital and Miyagi Cancer Center Hospital. Twelve patients received definitive radiation therapy and eight patients received postoperative prophylactic irradiation after surgery. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates of all cases were 44%, 37%, and 19%, respectively. Distant metastasis was the most frequent pattern of recurrence. Survival rates differed significantly between the 6 patients who were not treated with chemotherapy (median survival time, 5 months) and the 14 patients who were (24 months) (p = 0.0061). Good local control rates can be obtained by definite or postoperative radiation therapy for SCEC. However, SCEC should be regarded as a systemic disease, and chemotherapy should be given. Multiinstitutional studies are needed to obtain sufficiently large populations for investigation and optimization of local therapy for this disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.forename: Heng-Jiang
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Chiaki
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate