The management of patients with esophageal cancer and coronary artery stenosis undergoing radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy: a single-center experience.
OBJECTIVE
The incidence of esophageal cancer (EC) patients with coronary artery stenosis presents particular challenges. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficiency of management on patients with both diseases treated by radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).


METHODS
Fifty-three patients with both EC and coronary artery stenosis from June 2009 to August 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients received RT or CCRT with coronary artery stenosis management. Cardiac treatments often prescribed included aspirin, β-blockers, statins etc. The adverse effects, overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed.


RESULTS
Most of the patients were 40-70 years old. There were 25 patients in the CCRT group and 28 patients in the RT group. The complete response (CR) rate was higher in the patients in the CCRT group than in those in the RT group (48.0 vs 21.4%; p=0.041). The median PFS was 15.9 months in the CCRT group and 11.6 months in the RT group (p=0.025). OS was 22.4 months in the CCRT group and 15.8 months in the RT group (p=0.013). Though adverse effects were less in the RT group, no significance differences in grade 3-4 toxicity were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
With the appropriate of coronary artery stenosis management, RT and CCRT were both tolerable and effective in EC patients with coronary artery stenosis.
Graduate School of Weifang Medical College, Shandong, PR China.
Hui
H
Luo
Xiaojian
X
Chen
Qiugui
Q
Zhang
Lanhua
L
Wang
Lili
L
Qiao
Ning
N
Liang
Jian
J
Xie
Xinshuang
X
Yu
Meijuan
M
Song
Zhen
Z
Liu
Yajuan
Y
Lv
Fengjun
F
Liu
Yuan
Y
Tian
Jian
J
Cheng
Guodong
G
Deng
Jingxin
J
Zhang
X Allen
XA
Li
Jiandong
J
Zhang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D002681:China; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome