title: Weekly docetaxel with concomitant radiotherapy in patients with inoperable oesophageal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of weekly docetaxel concurrent with radiotherapy in inoperable oesophageal cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four oesophageal cancer patients with co-morbid medical conditions, locally advanced tumours (T4) or advanced age (older than 75 years) received docetaxel (20 mg/m2 weekly) plus concurrent radiotherapy (2 Gy daily, to a total dose of 66 Gy). Twenty-two patients (64%) were stage III, 19 of whom had T4 tumours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-seven patients (79%) completed the planned chemoradiotherapy treatment. Nine patients (26%) achieved a complete response and 8 (24%) achieved a partial response, for an overall response rate of 50%. Median survival was 6 months, and 1-year survival was 35%. Patients with T4 tumours had significantly shorter survival than other patients: 5 months for T4 tumours vs. 11 months for T1-3 (p=0.04). Grade 3-4 oesophagitis occurred in 6 patients (17%). There were two treatment-related deaths due to radiation pneumonitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Docetaxel plus concurrent radiotherapy is active in poor-prognosis oesophageal cancer patients, with a lower incidence of severe oesophagitis than with cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy regimens. This schedule can be considered, especially in patients with non-T4 tumours who are not candidates for oesophageal resection.
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Service, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain. afont@ico.scs.es
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Font
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arellano
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernández-Llamazares
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Casas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boix
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cardenal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Margelí
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Manzano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abad
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosell
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D017564:Radiation Pneumonitis / Q000209:etiology; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012074:Remission Induction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel