Patterns of care and locoregional treatment outcomes in older esophageal cancer patients: The SEER-Medicare Cohort.
OBJECTIVE
Optimal management of elderly patients with nonmetastatic esophageal cancer is unclear. Outcomes data after locoregional treatment are lacking for this group.


METHODS
We assessed outcomes associated with standard locoregional treatments in 2,626 patients (age > 65 years) from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare cohort diagnosed with nonmetastatic esophageal cancer from 1992 to 2002. In patients treated with radiotherapy alone (RT), surgery alone (S), chemoradiotherapy (CRT), or preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgery (CRT + S), overall and disease-free survival were compared using proportional hazards regression. Postoperative complications were compared using logistic regression.


RESULTS
Mean age was 76 +/- 6 years. Seven percent underwent CRT + S, 39% CRT, 30% S, and 24% RT. One-year survival was 68% (CRT + S), 52% (CRT), 53% (S), and 16% (RT), respectively (p < 0.001). Patients who underwent CRT + S demonstrated improved overall survival compared with S alone (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66-0.98; p = 0.03) and RT (HR = 0.44; 95% CI, 0.35-0.55; p < 0.0001); and comparable survival to CRT (HR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.67-1.01; p = 0.06). Patients who underwent CRT + S also had comparable postoperative mortality (HR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.87-1.07; p = 0.45) and complications (OR = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.70-1.14; p = 0.36) compared with S alone.


CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative chemoradiotherapy may be an acceptable treatment option in appropriately selected older esophageal cancer patients. This treatment modality did not appear to increase surgical complications and offered potential therapeutic benefit, particularly compared with surgery alone.
Smith
Grace L
GL
Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, 77030, USA.
Smith
Benjamin D
BD
Buchholz
Thomas A
TA
Liao
Zhongxing
Z
Jeter
Melenda
M
Swisher
Stephen G
SG
Hofstetter
Wayne L
WL
Ajani
Jaffer A
JA
McAleer
Mary F
MF
Komaki
Ritsuko
R
Cox
James D
JD
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D018426:SEER Program; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States