title: Concomitant chemotherapy and external radiotherapy plus brachytherapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer: results of a retrospective multicenter study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In October 1995, the Piedmont AIRO (Italian Society of Radiation Oncology) Group started a multi-institutional study of radiochemotherapy on locally advanced esophageal cancer, characterized by external radiotherapy followed by an intraluminal high dose-rate brachytherapy boost. Most patients were re-evaluated for surgery at the end of the program. The primary aim of the study was to assess efficacy of curative radiochemotherapy regarding overall survival and local control rates. The secondary aim was to evaluate the ability of radiochemotherapy to make resectable lesions previously considered inoperable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 1996 and March 2000, 75 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer were enrolled. All were treated with definitive radiotherapy; due to age or high expected toxicity, chemotherapy was employed only in 53 of them. Treatment schedule consisted of 60 Gy external radiotherapy (180 cGy/d, 5 days/week for 7 weeks) concomitant with two 5-day cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin and fluorouracil (weeks 1 and 5). One or two sessions of 5-7 Gy intraluminal high dose-rate brachytherapy were carried out on patients whose restaging showed a major tumor response. Surgery was performed in 14 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of radiotherapy, dysphagia disappeared in 46/75 cases (61%), and in 20/75 (27%) a significant symptom reduction was recorded. Complete objective response at restaging after radiotherapy was obtained in 33% of patients and a partial response in 53%. At the end of the multimodal treatment program, including esophagectomy, complete responses were 34 (45%); 4 of 14 (28.5%) cases proved to be disease free (pT0) at pathological examination. No G3-G4 toxicity was recorded. Two- and 5-year overall survival rates of all patients were, respectively, 38% and 28%; 2- and 5-year local control rates were, respectively, 35% and 33%. In a subgroup of 20 nonsurgical patients in complete response after radiochemotherapy, the overall survival rate at 3 and 5 years was 65% and the local control rate at 3 and 5 years was 75%. According to multivariate analysis, prognostic factors for survival were Karnofsky index and esophagectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For patients with locally advanced disease, radiochemotherapy showed improved clinical and pathologic tumor response and survival compared to surgery or radiotherapy alone. Intraluminal brachytherapy with a small fraction size allows an increased dose to the tumor without higher toxicity. Esophagectomy following radiochemotherapy could improve survival rates compared to definitive radiochemotherapy, but it is necessary to optimize selection criteria for surgery at the re-evaluation phase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, University of Turin, Italy. mariatessa@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tessa
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rotta
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ragona
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sola
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grassini
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nassisi
authors.forename: Piera
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sciacero
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Airoldi
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Filippi
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gianello
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ozzello
authors.forename: Alessandro Boidi
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Trotti
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ricardi
authors.forename: Gian Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Sannazzari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome