title: Definitive chemoradiotherapy for oesophageal cancer -- a promising start on an exciting journey.
abstract: Despite many advances in the management of oesophageal cancer, survival rates remain poor. Currently there is no clear consensus on the optimum management modality for localised disease. Surgery alone or combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy and definitive chemoradiotherapy are all treatment options used for treating selected patient groups throughout the world. This overview discusses the evidence for definitive chemoradiotherapy, its role for certain patient groups and compared with other treatment options and how it has evolved with emerging technologies over recent decades. It highlights some key areas of research for future trials, including more precise treatment delivery, treatment intensification and a possible randomised controlled trial comparing radiation and surgical-based treatment.
authors.affiliation: Velindre Cancer Centre, Cardiff, UK. Electronic address: thomas.rackley@wales.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rackley
authors.affiliation: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.affiliation: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foo
authors.affiliation: Velindre Cancer Centre, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Crosby
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant
keywords: Adenocarcinoma; chemotherapy; definitive chemoradiotherapy; oesophageal cancer; radiotherapy; squamous cell carcinoma