Long-term results of salvage endoscopic mucosal resection in patients with local failure after definitive chemoradiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Local failure after definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with esophageal cancer remains one of the major problems in finding a cure. Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is one treatment option when failure lesions are superficial. However, there are no relevant long-term survival data. The aim of this study was to clarify the long-term survival of salvage EMR.


METHODS
Between January 1998 and March 2004, 289 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were treated with definitive CRT at the National Cancer Center Hospital East, Japan. Of these 289 patients, 21 patients with local failure without lymph-node or distant metastases were treated with salvage EMR. The technique of salvage EMR involved a strip biopsy method. We retrospectively analyzed the long-term survival data for the patients who underwent salvage EMR.


RESULTS
At a median follow-up period of 54 months (range, 16-108 months), eight of 21 patients (38%) were alive with no recurrence and two patients had died from another disease but with no recurrence of esophageal cancer. Local recurrence after EMR was detected in four patients, with local and lymph-node recurrence in two patients, and lymph-node and/or distant metastases in five patients. The 5-year survival rate from the initiation of salvage EMR was 49.1%. There were no severe complications associated with EMR.


CONCLUSIONS
EMR is one of the curative salvage treatment options for local failure after definitive CRT, if the failure lesion is superficial and there are no lymph-node or distant metastases.
Yano
T
T
Division of Digestive Endoscopy and Gastrointestinal Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan. toyano@east.ncc.go.jp
Muto
M
M
Hattori
S
S
Minashi
K
K
Onozawa
M
M
Nihei
K
K
Ishikura
S
S
Ohtsu
A
A
Yoshida
S
S
D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil