title: Oesophageal cancer: exploring controversies overview of experts' opinions of Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands and Switzerland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oesophageal carcinoma is a rare disease with often dismal prognosis. Despite multiple trials addressing specific issues, currently, many questions in management remain unanswered. This work aimed to specifically address areas in the management of oesophageal cancer where high level evidence is not available, performing trials is very demanding and for many questions high-level evidence will not be available in the forseeable future.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two experts of each national, oesophageal cancer research group from Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland were asked to provide statements to controversial issues. After an initial survey, further questions were formulated and answered by all experts. The answers were then discussed and qualitatively analysed for consensus and controversy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Topics such as indications for PET-CT, reasons for induction chemotherapy, radiotherapy dose, the choice of definitive chemo-radiotherapy versus surgery in squamous cell cancer, the role of radiotherapy in adenocarcinoma and selected surgical issues were identified as topics of interest and discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Areas of significant controversy exist in the management of oesophageal cancer, mostly due to high-level evidence. This is not expected to change in the upcoming years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007, St. Gallen, Switzerland. paul.putora@kssg.ch.
authors.forename: Paul Martin
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Putora
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Le Bocage, Dijon, France Federation Francophone de Cancérologie Digestive (FFCD), Dijon, France. laurent.bedenne@u-bourgogne.fr.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bedenne
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, German Oesophageal Study Group (GOSG), Düsseldorf, Germany. wilfried.budach@med.uni-duesseldorf.de.
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Budach
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine V, Innsbruck Medical University, West-Austrian Study Group (AGMT), Innsbruck, Austria. Wolfgang.Eisterer@i-med.ac.at.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Eisterer
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus University Medical Center, ChemoRadiotherapy for Oesophageal cancer versus Surgery alone Study Group (CROSS), Rotterdam, The Netherlands. a.vandergaast@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Ate
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Der Gaast
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Innsbruck Medical University, West-Austrian Study Group (AGMT), Innsbruck, Austria. Robert.H.Jaeger@i-med.ac.at.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jäger
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, ChemoRadiotherapy for Oesophageal cancer versus Surgery alone Study Group (CROSS), Rotterdam, The Netherlands. j.vanlanschot@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: J Jan B
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Van Lanschot
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive and Oncological Surgery, University Hospital Lille, Federation Francophone de Cancérologie Digestive (FFCD), Lille, France. Christophe.MARIETTE@CHRU-LILLE.FR.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mariette
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, City-Hospital Triemli, Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK), Zurich, Switzerland. annelies.schnider@triemli.stzh.ch.
authors.forename: Annelies
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schnider
authors.affiliation: Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Klinik für Internistische Onkologie und Hämatologie, German Oesophageal Study Group (GOSG), Essen, Germany. m.stahl@kliniken-essen-mitte.de.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology and Oncology, Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK), Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland. thomas.ruhstaller@kssg.ch.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ruhstaller
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D032921:Consensus; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D019468:Disease Management; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000379:methods; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000379:methods; D012074:Remission Induction; D012955:Societies, Medical