Abstract
Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of the patients with stage II-III esophageal cancer treated with radiation therapy. Methods: Between 1999 and 2006, 87 patients with squamous cell esophageal carcinoma were treated with radiation therapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) at Gunma University Hospital. Seventy-four patients were men and 14 patients were women, and the median age was 71 years (range: 48–93 years). According to TNM staging system (UICC, 2002), 29 patients were stage II (IIA: 23, IIB: 6), and 58 patients were stage III. Radiation therapy consisted of 40–46 Gy with anteroposterior opposing field including the primary tumor and positive regional lymphnodes with optimal margins with conventional fraction followed by external beam boost up to 50–70 Gy (median: 64 Gy). Chemotherapy was administered concurrently with radiation therapy to 50 patients, and the 30 patients received the regimen contained cisplatin or nedaplatin (CRT-PT) and the 20 patients received the regimen consisting of docetaxel (CRT-DOC). Results: At the end of this study, there were 27 survivors with a median follow-up period of 20 months (range: 6–85 months). The 2- and 3-year disease specific survival rates (DSS) were 44% and 29% for all 87 patients, 71% and 44% for stage II, and 31% and 22% for stage III. The difference of DSS between the patients with stage II and stage III was statistically significant (P= 0.0016). The CR rate and the 2- and 3-year DSS for the CRT group were 34%, 44%, 29%, respectively, and these results were better than those for the RT group of 24%, 43%, 19%, respectively, however, these differences observed were not statistically significant. The outcomes of the patients with CRT-DOC regimen resulted in almost the same as those of CRT-PT regimen group. Conclusion: Our results revealed that definitive radiation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus is effective. Further investigations of the protocol of radiation therapy technique or chemotherapy are needed to clarify the impact of CRT on prognosis of the patients with this disease.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
