title: Survival benefit of radiotherapy to patients with small cell esophagus carcinoma: an analysis of Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Small cell esophageal carcinoma (SCEC) is a rare malignant tumor. So far, few studies are found to research the effect of radiotherapy (RT) to it. This study is designed to explore the prognostic factors, and analyze survival benefit of RT to patients with SCEC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with SCEC were more likely to be in female, older, higher disease stage than those with non-small cell esophageal carcinoma. RT was used in more than 50% SCEC patients. RT tended be reduced as the disease stage raise in SCEC. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that age, year, disease stage, and RT were the prognostic factors of survival (P < 0.05). RT reduced nearly 75% risks of death in localized stage (P < 0.05), nearly 50% risks of death in regional stage (P > 0.05) and nearly 30% risks of death in distant stage (P > 0.05).
  
  
  METHODS
  SCEC patients between 1973 and 2012 were searched from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data. Clinical factors including age, year, sex, race, stage, surgery, and RT were summarized. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to explore the independent prognostic factors of SCEC. Cox regression survival analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of RT to SCEC based on different stages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stage, age, year, and RT are independent prognostic factors of SCEC. Survival benefit of RT exists in any disease stage, but is only statistically significant in localized stage of SCEC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Huai'an 223300, China.
authors.forename: Yaqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Huai'an 223300, China.
authors.forename: Wanwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Huai'an 223300, China.
authors.forename: Guangzhou
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Huai'an 223300, China.
authors.forename: Weiguo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Huai'an 223300, China.
authors.forename: Xilei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Huai'an 223300, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018426:SEER Program; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: esophageal cancer; prognostic factors; radiotherapy; small cell carcinoma; stage