title: Adjuvant chemotherapy after radical resection of squamous cell carcinoma in the thoracic esophagus: who benefits? A retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A definitive combined modality therapy superior to surgery alone has not yet been found for esophageal cancer. This retrospective study investigated the impact of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients who underwent curative (R0) esophagectomy with radical lymphadenectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and eleven patients with a squamous cell carcinoma in the thoracic esophagus who underwent transthoracic curative (R0) esophagectomy with radical lymphadenectomy, such as 3-field lymphadenectomy or total 2-field lymphadenectomy, between 1988 and 2000, were retrospectively reviewed. Ninety-four patients received postoperative chemotherapy - 2 courses of cisplatin (CDDP) plus fluorouracil (5-FU) or vindesine (VDS) - while the other 117 patients received surgery alone. The overall survival rate was compared between the two groups after being stratified by the numbers of the metastasis- positive lymph nodes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only in the subgroup of patients with 8 or more lymph nodes metastasis- positive, the surgery-with-postoperative-chemotherapy group had a significantly better survival than the surgery-alone group. No significant difference was found in survival between the two groups in any other stratified subgroup.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy following curative (R0) esophagectomy with radical lymphadenectomy such as 3-field lymphadenectomy or total 2-field lymphadenectomy provided a benefit only in patients having metastasis in a large number - 8 or more - lymph nodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heroor
authors.forename: Hiromasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sueyoshi
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Uhi
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Toh
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mine
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasahara
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sudo
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matono
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamana
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirouzu
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002945:Cisplatin; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D016629:Esophagectomy; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil