title: Survival analysis of platinum-refractory patients with advanced esophageal cancer treated with docetaxel or best supportive care alone: a retrospective study.
abstract: The survival benefit of second-line chemotherapy with docetaxel in platinum-refractory patients with advanced esophageal cancer (AEC) remains unclear. A retrospective analysis of AEC patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS)≤2 was performed, and major organ functions were preserved, who determined to receive docetaxel or best supportive care (BSC) alone after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy. The post-progression survival (PPS), defined as survival time after disease progression following platinum-based chemotherapy, was analyzed by multivariate Cox regression analysis using factors identified as significant in univariate analysis of various 20 characteristics (age, sex, PS, primary tumor location, etc) including Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), which is a well-known prognostic factor in many malignant tumors. Sixty-six and 45 patients were determined to receive docetaxel and BSC between January 2007 and December 2011, respectively. The median PPS was 5.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.8-6.0) in the docetaxel group and 3.3 months (95% CI 2.5-4.0) in the BSC group (hazard ratio [HR] 0.56, 95% CI 0.38-0.84, P=0.005). Univariate analysis revealed six significant factors: treatment, PS, GPS, number of metastatic organs, liver metastasis, and bone metastasis. Multivariate analysis including these significant factors revealed three independent prognostic factors: docetaxel treatment (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.39-0.99, P=0.043), better GPS (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.46-0.81, P=0.001), and no bone metastasis (HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.15-0.68, P=0.003). There was a trend for PPS in favor of the docetaxel group compared with patients who refused docetaxel treatment in the BSC group (adjusted HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.29-1.29, P=0.20). Docetaxel treatment may have prolonged survival in platinum-refractory patients with AEC.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moriwaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hiroshima
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sugaya
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishige
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishina
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hyodo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018450:Disease Progression; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010984:Platinum / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D010984:Platinum
keywords: Glasgow prognostic score; best supportive care; docetaxel; esophageal cancer; platinum-refractory