Study Of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Research Articles

Results of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fuluorouracil for advanced esophageal cancer.

171 Background: We previously reported a phase I study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT ) with docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fuluorouracil (DCF) for advanced esophageal cancer. After that, we continued to conduct neoadjuvant CRT with DCF as phase II study and here, we report the results of this study including phase I. Methods: We performed neoadjuvant CRT with DCF chemotherapy and concurrent radiation therapy (40Gy including irradiation field) in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Dose of chemotherapy were as follows: docetaxel 25mg/m2 (level 1 n=17), or 30mg/m2 (level 2 n=4) on day 1,15,29 and 43 and cisplatin 70mg/m2 on day 1,29 and 5-fuluorouracil on day 1-4 and 29-32. The tumors were resected during weeks 10-13. Results: From Dec 2009 to Aug 2012, 21patients were enrolled and 19 patients underwent thoracic surgery. There were 17 male and four female subjects of ages ranging from 38 to 72 years (median, 61 years). Of these, 6 patients had stage IIIA esophageal cancer and two had stage IIIB esophageal cancer. All the patients had squamous cell carcinoma. Pathological complete response of primary tumor was achieved in 12 patients (63%) and complete pathological response of both primary tumor and lymph node was seen in eight patients (42%). During CRT, the most common grade 3/4 non-hematological toxicity were anorexia (29%) and esophagitis (29%). During CRT, septic shock caused by infection via catheter was observed and re-operation was performed in one patient with reconstructed gastric tube necrosis.One patient developed recurrent gastric tube ulcer in the anastomotic part 4years after esophagectomy. 10 patients are alive more than 5 years and 5-year overall survival is 47.6% and three of them were level II cases. Conclusions: This preoperative CRT regimen using triplets result in favorite prognosis, but treatment plan should be reconsidered because of relative high toxicity. Because high complete response rate of primary tumor were observed and long-term survival has been obtained at a high rate in the case of level II, we planned new phase I/II study of CRT with DCF without preventive irradiation field. Clinical trial information: R000002555.

Phase Ib/II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with CRLX101 and capecitabine for locally advanced rectal cancer.

e15144 Background: There is strong interest in the development of novel agents to further improve the therapeutic ratio of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer. CRLX101 is an investigational nanoparticle-drug conjugate with a camptothecin payload. The purpose of this Phase Ib/II study is to assess toxicity and to evaluate whether the addition of CRLX101 to chemoradiotherapy can improve pathologic complete response (pCR) for rectal cancer. Methods: This is a single-arm multicenter Phase Ib/II study examining the addition of CRLX101 to a standard capecitabine-based chemoradiotherapy regimen. Phase Ib employs a 3+3 dose escalation design with starting dose of 12 mg/m2 every other week (QOW). Dose level +1 was 15 mg/m2 (MTD for CRLX101 single agent QOW). Upon reaching MTD for QOW dosing, protocol was modified to evaluate QW CRLX101 dosing starting at 12 mg/m2 and 15 mg/m2as +1 level. Secondary endpoints included pCR and clinical outcome. Results: A total of 32 patients were enrolled on the trial. 26/32 had T3-4, 9/32 had N2 and 16/32 had N1 disease. For QOW dosing, 9 patients completed treatment without DLT and MTD was identified as 15 mg/m2 QOW. 14 patients were treated on the Phase II portion of the study at 15 mg/m2 QOW prior to the initiation of weekly dosing Phase Ib cohorts. For QW dosing, 0/3 patients experienced DLT at 12 mg/m2 and 1/6 patients experienced DLT at 15 mg/m2. The DLT was skin desquamation requiring treatment delay. QW MTD was identified as 15 mg/m2. Toxicities (all grade 3 except lymphopenia) that could possibly be attributed to CRLX101 are in Table 1. Full clinical and pathologic staging were available for 29/32 patients. Mean neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score was 19 with standard deviation of 15. At the weekly MTD, 3/6 patients had pCR. Conclusions: CRLX101 weekly at 15 mg/m2+ standard capecitabine-based chemoradiotherapy appears to be well tolerated, with promising pCR rates that warrants further evaluation. A larger PhII trial should be considered with this regimen. Clinical trial information: NCT02010567. [Table: see text]

Study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with combined S-1 and low-dose cisplatin for patients with clinical stage II/III esophageal cancer

Summary Background Trimodality therapy with surgery and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) has been developed to improve survival outcomes in advanced esophageal cancer. We hypothesized that the effect of surgery plus nCRT with oral fluoropyrimidine (S-1) and low-dose cisplatin will be effective with low toxic effects in patients with esophageal cancer as well as gastric cancer. Methods This cohort study included 28 Japanese patients who underwent nCRT plus esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in preoperative clinical Stage II/III. They received only one cycle of S-1 and low-dose cisplatin concurrently, followed by surgery 3–4 weeks after completion of nCRT (the doses of radiotherapy were 20 or 30 Gy). We examined the clinical efficacy and safety of nCRT plus esophagectomy. Results All patients had squamous cell carcinoma and they all completed nCRT and underwent esophagectomy. No treatment-related deaths were observed. The response rate to nCRT was 92.9%. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival rates were 84.4%, 67.0%, and 67.0%, respectively for Stage II/III. Conclusion Toxicity of nCRT was acceptable, and the efficacy and prognosis were favorable, particularly as we performed only one cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with low doses of radiotherapy.

2039 Phase IB/II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with CRLX101 and capecitabine for locally advanced rectal cancer

2039 Phase IB/II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with CRLX101 and capecitabine for locally advanced rectal cancer

Phase IB/II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with CRLX101 and capecitabine for locally advanced rectal cancer.

Phase IB/II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with CRLX101 and capecitabine for locally advanced rectal cancer.

Erratum to: phase I study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with S-1 plus biweekly cisplatin for advanced gastric cancer patients with lymph node metastasis -KOGC04-

Erratum to: phase I study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with S-1 plus biweekly cisplatin for advanced gastric cancer patients with lymph node metastasis -KOGC04-

A phase IB/II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with CRLX101 and capecitabine for locally advanced rectal cancer.

TPS3629 Background: There is strong interest in the development of novel agents and strategies to further improve the therapeutic ratio of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer. One innov...

Phase I study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy as an outpatient setting for patients with resectable advanced gastric cancer.

84 Background: The prognosis for advanced gastric cancer remains poor because of a high rate of metastasis or recurrence. Therefore, treatment options that might improve the prognosis are needed. Radiation is expected to improve the rate of curable resection and local recurrence. To that end, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with S-1 and cisplatin (CDDP) was investigated. Methods: Advanced gastric cancer patients with regional lymph nodes metastases enrolled in this study. The chemoradiotherapy consisted of S-1 on days 1–14 and CDDP on days 1 and 15. The dose range of CDDP in the study was 15 mg/m2 to 30 mg/m2. Radiation therapy was started concurrently with chemotherapy and repeated daily on days 1–5, 8–12, 15–19, and 22–26. After the initial chemoradiation therapy, the chemotherapy was repeated within 2 weeks after the termination of radiotherapy. Surgery was scheduled to take place within 6 weeks after completion of the second cycle of chemotherapy. Results: A total of 9 patients were recruited. There was no dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) in patients both 15 mg/m2 and 20 mg/m2. In the next three patients at 25 mg/m2, there were two cases with DLTs. Therefore, the recommended dose (RD) of CDDP was 20 mg/m2. Eight patients underwent surgery and all had an R0 resection. Postoperative complications occurred in two cases (pancreatic fistula and chylous ascites). However, there was no treatment-related death. The grades of histological therapeutic effect were Grade 1a in two patients, Grade 1b in one patient and Grade 2 in four patients. One patient had no viable cancer cells, which is classified as a Grade 3 histological therapeutic effect and represented a pathological CR. Conclusions: The recommended dose of CDDP is 20mg/m2 bi-weekly and its safety and feasibility as a preoperative therapy are supported in this study. Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy can provide remarkable shrinkage of tumors and increases in curability rate would be expected. Further clinical trials in a larger number of patients are recommended to evaluate the validation of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with S-1 and CDDP as a standard treatment strategy for resectable advanced gastric cancer. Clinical trial information: UMIN000008941.

A randomized phase II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with 5-FU/leucovorin or irinotecan/S1 in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

511 Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate rate of pathologic complete response (pCR) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with 5-FU/leucovorin (FL) versus Irinotecan/S-1 (IS) and surgery followed by fluoropyrimidine based adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: Patients with resectable, locally advanced (cT3-4 and/or cN positive) adenocarcinoma of rectum were randomly assigned to receive preoperative radiation (45-50.4 Gy in 25-28 daily fractions) and concomitant chemotherapy with bolus injections of 5-FU 400 mg/m2/day and LV 20 mg/m2/day for 3 consecutive days every 4 weeks for 2 cycles (FL group), or with irinotecan 40 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and S-1 35mg/m2 twice on the day of irradiation (Monday-Friday) (IS group). Curative surgery was performed for about 4-8 weeks after the completion of chemoradiotherapy. Postoperative chemotherapy regimen is FL. The primary endpoint was pCR rate. Results: 142 eligible patients were randomly assigned. Of 142, 130 patients (91.5%) underwent total mesorectal excision. The pCR was achieved 11 (17.2 %) of 64 patients in the FL group and was 16 (24.2%) of 66 patients in the IS group (p=0.1). When pCR was combined with few residual cells, the rate was significantly higher in IS group compared to FL group (57.6 % vs. 39.1 %, p-value=0.035). Preoperative rate of grade 3-4 toxicity was 1.4% with FL and 7.0 % with IS group (p=0.095). Conclusions: The results have suggested that neoadjuvant CRT using IS is feasible and effective for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. Longer follow-up is needed to assess survival. Clinical trial information: NCT01269216.

A multi-centered randomized controlled study of neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery versus surgery alone for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus: an interim analysis

To evaluate the safety and validity of neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery for locally advanced esophageal carcinoma. Patients with IIB, III staged squamous cell carcinoma of thoracic esophagus were randomly allocated to either preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery (arm A) or surgery alone (arm B). In arm A, chemotherapy and radiotherapy were performed concurrently. Patients received two cycles of vinorelbine and cisplatin. Vinorelbine at 25 mg/m(2) per day was administered as a bolus infusion at d1, d8, d22 and d29. Cisplatin at 75 mg/m(2) was administered by an intravenous infusion at d1 and d22 (or 25 mg/m(2) days 1 - 4 and 22 - 25). A total radiotherapeutic dose of 40 Gy was delivered in 20 daily fractions of 2.0 Gy each (5 d/wk for 4 weeks). Three-incisioned esophagectomy was performed at Weeks 4 - 6 after chemoradiotherapy. Primary outcome was overall survival time. An interim analysis was performed in June 2011. From July 2007 to June 2011, 123 eligible patients were randomly assigned at 7 cooperative cancer centers (54 cases in arm A vs 69 cases in arm B). In arm A, the clinical response rate of chemoradiotherapy was 90.7%. All patients finished the preoperative chemoradiotherapy. Forty-nine cases continued to receive esophagectomy. The pathological complete response rate was 29.6%. The rate of R0 resection in arm A was significant higher than that in arm B(96.0% vs 85.5%, P = 0.015). The most common grade 3/4 toxicity of chemoradiotherapy was leukopenia occurring in 33 cases (61.1%). Vomiting and esophagitis were usually of Grade 1/2. No patient died or abandoned surgery because of chemoradiation toxicity. Between arms A and B, operative duration, blood loss, duration of chest tube drainage and length of postsurgical hospital stay were similar. The incidences of postoperative heart failure (2.0% vs 1.4%, P = 1.000), anastomotic leakage (8.2% vs 11.6%, P = 0.759) and hoarseness (6.1% vs 4.3%, P = 0.691) were not significantly different. The incidence of pulmonary infection in arm A was slightly higher than that in arm B (8.2% vs 1.4%, P = 0.094). No perioperative deaths occurred in either group. There were no significant differences in overall survivals at 1, 2 years between arms A and B (85.6%/75.5% vs 79.1%/66.1%, P = 0.207). The disease-free survivals at 1, 2 years in arm A were slightly higher than in arm B (86.6%/83.2% vs 70.9%/61.8%, P = 0.075). Neo-adjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery may achieve a high clinical response rate and pathologic complete tumor regression rate. It significantly increases the R0 resection rate and down stage the esophageal cancer patients. But its ultimate efficacy awaits further follow-up studies.

Phase I study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with S-1 and oxaliplatin in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer

The aim of this phase I study was to investigate the optimal dose of S-1 and oxaliplatin with concurrent radiotherapy in a preoperative setting for locally advanced gastric cancer. Twelve patients with histologically confirmed clinical stage T2N+ or T3-T4 gastric adenocarcinoma received dose level -1 (oral S-1 at 60 mg/m(2)/day + oxaliplatin 40 mg/m(2) intravenously on days 1, 8, 15 and 22) or dose level 1 (S-1 80 mg/m(2)/day + oxaliplatin 40 mg/m(2)), with concurrent radiotherapy at daily fractions of 1.8 Gy 5 days per week, to a total dose of 41.4 Gy. Surgical resection, including D2 dissection, was performed within 4 weeks after the last day of chemotherapy. Chemoradiotherapy was generally well tolerated, with the most common dose-related grade 1 or 2 adverse events being anemia, nausea, vomiting, anorexia and abdominal pain. Two DLTs (prolonged thrombocytopenia and stomach perforation) were observed at dose level 1 (n = 6) and resulted in dose de-escalation to level -1. The recommended dose for future study is dose level -1, at which 1 of 6 patients developed grade 3 vomiting and anorexia. R0 resection was possible in 11 patients. Pathologic down-staging was observed in 6 patients, including one complete response. No clinically relevant postoperative complications occurred. The activity of preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy with S-1 (60 mg/m(2)/day for 28 consecutive days) and oxaliplatin (40 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, 15 and 22) will be explored more extensively in a phase II study in patients with locally advanced GC.

Feasibility study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil and elective nodal irradiation for stage II/III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

130 Background: Based on the JCOG 9907 trial results, neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin (CDDP) plus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is considered a standard treatment for stage II/III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Japan. However, patient survival remains unsatisfactory. We conducted a feasibility study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NeoCRT) with CDDP plus 5-FU and elective nodal irradiation for stage II/III ESCC. Methods: Eligibility criteria included clinical stage II/III (UICC 6th, non-T4) ESCC, PS 0-1, and age 20–75 years. Chemotherapy consisted of 2 courses of 5-FU infusion (1000 mg/m2, days 1–4) and a 2-h CDDP infusion (75 mg/m2, day 1), with a 4-week interval. Radiotherapy was concurrently administered to a total 41.4 Gy in 23 fractions for primary tumor, metastatic lymph nodes and regional lymph nodes. After completion of CRT, transthoracic esophagectomy with extensive lymphadenectomy (>D2) was performed. The primary endpoint was the completion rate of NeoCRT and R0 resection. Results: From July 2010 to June 2011, 33 patients were enrolled, including 2 ineligibles. In 31 eligible patients, the median age was 63 years (range, 40–73); male/female: 28/3; PS0/1: 19/12; cStage IIA/IIB/III: 2/10/19. During CRT, the most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities were leukopenia (65%), neutropenia (65%), anemia (13%), thrombocytopenia (13%), febrile neutropenia (13%), anorexia (16%), esophagitis (16%), and hyponatremia (16%). In total, 31 patients (100%) underwent CRT and 25 (81%) underwent surgery; 1 patient (3%) did not undergo surgery due to disease progression, and the other 5 patients (16%) are scheduled for surgery. Among patients who underwent surgery, there was 1 treatment-related death, and the incidence of operative morbidity was similar to that in previous studies. According to RECIST, the overall response rate was 63% after CRT completion. Pathological complete response was achieved in 11 patients (44%) who underwent esophagectomy. Conclusions: NeoCRT was well tolerated and appears to be highly promising. The randomized controlled trial compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy is needed and will be started.

A phase I study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with S-1/oxaliplatin in patients with gastric cancer.

51 Background: To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of concurrent radiotherapy with S-1 and oxaliplatin, and antitumor activity of the combination treatment in patients with gastric cancer. Methods: This was a phase I, escalating multiple-dose tolerability trial. S-1 and oxaliplatin were administered concurrently with radiotherapy for 4 weeks before surgery. The dose escalation scheme is provided in the table below. S-1 was continuously administered during radiotherapy and oxaliplatin was administered weekly for 4 weeks during radiotherapy. Results: From March 2009 to June 2010, twelve patients were entered at two dose levels. The most common dose-related grade 1 and 2 adverse events were nausea, vomiting, anorexia and abdominal pain. Two of six patients treated at level 1 developed DLT (disabling abdominal pain, stomach perforation). The dose of S-1/oxaliplatin was reduced to 30 mg/m2 bid and 40 mg/m2 (Level -1). There one DLT (vomiting and anorexia, grade 3) observed in the expanded cohort of 6 patients at Level -1. Among 12 patients, 1 patient demonstrated pathological CR after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant CCRT with S-1/oxaliplatin was well tolerated, at a dose 30 mg/m2 bid for S-1 and 40 mg/m2 for oxaliplatin that at which antitumor activity was seen. Phase II study is planned to investigate further the efficacy, tolerability and optimal dose. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Prospective non-randomized study of preoperative concurrent platinum plus 5-fluorouracil-based chemoradiotherapy with or without paclitaxel in esophageal cancer patients: long-term follow-up

Combined modality treatment for esophageal carcinoma seems to improve survival over surgery alone. Different combinations of cytotoxic drugs have been studied to improve antitumor efficacy and limit the toxicity of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with inconsistent results. We present a prospective study of neoadjuvant CRT with or without paclitaxel in chemotherapy schedule. One hundred seven patients (93 males, 14 females), median age 59 years (range 44-76), with operable esophageal cancer were enrolled. They received the following neoadjuvant therapy: Carboplatin, area under curve (AUC) = 6, intravenously on days 1 and 22, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 200 mg/m(2)/day, continuous infusion on days 1 to 42, radiation therapy 45 grays/25fractions/5 weeks beginning on day 1. Forty-four patients (41%) were furthermore non-randomly assigned to paclitaxel 200 mg/m(2)/3 h intravenously on days 1 and 22. Nutritional support from the beginning of the treatment was offered to all patients. Surgery was done within 4-8 weeks after completion of CRT, if feasible. All patients were evaluated for grade 3 plus 4 toxicities: leukopenia (28%), neutropenia (30%), anemia (6%), thrombocytopenia (31%), febrile neutropenia (6%), esophagitis (24%), nausea and vomiting (7%), pneumotoxicity (8%). Seventy-eight patients (73%) had surgery and 63 of them were completely resected. Twenty-two patients (20%) achieved pathological complete remission, and additional 20 (19%) had node-negative and esophageal wall-positive residual disease. There were 10 surgery-related deaths, mostly due to pulmonary insufficiency. Twenty-nine patients were not resected, 15 for early progression, 14 for medical reasons or patient refusal. After a median follow-up of 52 months (range 27-80), median survival of 18.0 months and 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival of 56.7, 37.5, 27.0 and 21% was observed in the whole group of 107 patients. Addition of paclitaxel to carboplatin and continual infusion of FU significantly increased hematologic and non-hematologic toxicity, but treatment results as overall survival or time to progression did not differ significantly in groups with and without paclitaxel. Patients achieving pathological complete remission or nodes negativity after neoadjuvant therapy had favorable survival prognosis, whereas long-term prognosis of node positive patients was poor. Distant metastases prevailed as a cause of the treatment failure. Factors significant for survival prognosis in multivariate analysis were postoperative node negativity, performance status, and grade of dysphagia. Addition of paclitaxel to carboplatin and continual FU significantly increased hematologic and non-hematologic toxicity without influencing efficacy of the treatment. This study confirmed improved prognosis of patients after achieving negativity of nodes. Distant metastases prevailed as cause of the treatment failure. Prospectively, it is important to look for a therapeutic combination with better systemic effect.

Neoadjuvant radiotherapy ± tegafur-uracil plus leucovorin in rectal adenocarcinoma: Final results of a French multicenter phase III study

4104 Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with tegafur-uracil (UFT) plus leucovorin (LV) has shown promising results in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma (RAC). We therefore conducted a phase III trial to compare neoadjuvant CRT with UFT/LV versus radiotherapy (RT) alone. Methods: One hundred seventy seven pts with RAC stage T3 (T4 if anal extension) N<2, M0 were randomized to either RT alone (RT) (1.8 Gy/d, 45 G total) 5 days/w for 5 weeks or combined to CT (CRT) with daily UFT 300 mg/m2 plus leucovorin 75 mg for 5 weeks. TME surgery was performed 6–8 weeks after treatment. Adjuvant CT permitted at investigator discretion. Primary endpoint was pathological complete response rate (pCR), secondary endpoints included downstaging, QOL, sphincter preservation, recurrence rates, disease-free and overall survival. Results: Of 177 pts, 87 pts were allocated to RT and 90 to CRT. Compliance: RT dose intensity 98.8 % (n=86) in RT arm vs 95.6 % (n=86) in CRT arm with UFT mean dose 295.7 ± 19.8 mg/m2. 172 pts underwent surgery (97.2%), 5 pts were not resected (4 liver and 1 lung metastases plus 1 CVA). Both RT and CRT were well tolerated. No neutropenia and only 1 grade IV diarrhea in the CRT arm were observed. Treatment related death occurred in 4 patients, 3 in the RT arm and 1 in the CRT arm respectively. With a median follow-up at 22.3 mo, median OS is not yet reached. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with UFT increases significantly the pCR rate with an acceptable toxicity. Further survival data will be presented. This is the first randomized study of neoadjuvant CRT highlighting the improvement of the pCR rate with UFT. [Table: see text] [Table: see text]

The ability of whole body FDG18 PET imaging to predict pathologic response to induction chemoradiotherapy in stage IIIA and IIIB non-small cell lung cancer. Results of a phase I/II subanalysis

Whole body FDG18 PET imaging has been shown to have 99% sensitivity in detecting primary tumor at initial workup for non-small cell lung cancer. Furthermore, it has been shown to have 91% sensitivity at detecting mediastinal lymph nodes pre-operatively. In this phase I/II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection for stage IIIA and IIIB non-small cell lung cancer patients, PET imaging was obtained before and after induction chemoradiotherapy in order to assess its ability to accurately assess pathologic response.

Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Resectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

A prospective phase II study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was conducted from May 1993 to March 1996. A total of 88 patients fitted the eligibility criteria and were treated with two courses of induction chemotherapy (cisplatin 60 mg/m2/day on day 1 and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 1 000 mg/m2/day on days 2-6) with concurrent hyperfractionated radiotherapy (48 Gy/40 fractions/4 weeks) followed by esophagectomy or definitive CRT comprising 4 cycles of cisplatin/5-FU and hyperfractionated radiotherapy (additional 12 Gy) with intracavitary brachytherapy (9 Gy). Clinical response and downstaging were achieved in 83% and 42% of the patients, respectively. With a median follow-up of 77 months, median survival time was 18 months with a 5-year survival rate of 23%. The clinical responses to CRT and surgery were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Among the intended surgery group (n=52), 41 (79%) patients underwent surgery and 36 had a resection with a pathologic complete response rate of 43%. When compared with a matched historical control (n=40), there was a significant survival benefit in the multimodality arm (p=0.04). This multimodality therapy was feasible and its efficacy was promising, especially when surgical resection was performed. The therapeutic benefit of neoadjuvant CRT remains to be assessed in large well-designed randomized trials, one of which is ongoing at our institution.