title: Gender-based analysis of esophageal cancer patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiation: differences in presentation and therapy outcome.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify gender-dependent differences in presentation at baseline and therapy outcome in esophageal carcinoma patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CTRT). We stratified patients according to gender and statistically compared pretreatment clinical stage, post-CTRT effect on carcinoma in the resected specimen, overall survival (OS), and patterns of failure. Of the 235 patients who underwent preoperative CTRT, 203 were men and 32 were women. Carcinomas in women correlated significantly with clinical stage II classification (78%vs. 55%) while cancers in men correlated significantly with clinical stage III classification (39%vs. 16%; P = 0.02). Carcinomas in women also correlated significantly with lower clinical N classification; more women had cN0 (52%) compared to men (28%; P = 0.01). Similarly, in the surgical specimens, more women had pN0 (78%) compared to men (64%; P = 0.06). At a median follow-up of 37 months, 10% more women than men remain alive (63%vs. 53%; P = 0.3). Distant metastases-free survival time was longer for women than men. Our results suggest that localized esophageal carcinoma is diagnosed in more advanced stages in men than in women. The reasons for these differences remain unclear and further expansion of these observations and study of biologic differences that might exist are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Rohatgi
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Swisher
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Komaki
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vaporciyan
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ajani
mesh_terms: D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome