Therapeutic strategy for the treatment of postoperative recurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: clinical efficacy of radiotherapy.

Abstract

We investigated the effectiveness of chemoradiotherapy for the treatment of lymph node recurrence and hematogenous metastasis after esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Between 2001 and 2006, 216 patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma had curative esophagectomy. Of those, 23 with lymph node recurrence received chemoradiotherapy (50.0-68.8 Gy). In addition, five patients had isolated recurrences in a distant organ and received chemoradiotherapy (50.0-60.0 Gy). We analyzed outcomes from the radiotherapy for recurrent esophageal cancer. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates after recurrence for the 23 patients whose lymph node recurrence was treated with chemoradiotherapy were 52, 31, and 24%, respectively, and the median survival time was 13 months. Among the five patients with recurrent tumors in a distant organ, chemoradiotherapy produced a complete response in two patients, a partial response in one patient, and stable disease in two patients, giving an effectiveness rate of 60% (complete response + partial response). Chemoradiotherapy has a beneficial prognostic effect in patients with lymph node recurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Chemoradiotherapy for a metastatic tumor in a distant organ may be the treatment of choice in cases where systemic chemotherapy has proven ineffective.

• Authors: K Maruyama, S Motoyama, A Anbai, S Usami, Y Sato, K Shibuya, K Yoshino, T Nakatsu, Y Minamiya, J-I Ogawa
• Journal: Diseases of the esophagus : official journal of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (Dis Esophagus) Vol. 24 Issue 3 Pg. 166-71 (Apr 2011) ISSN: 1442-2050 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20946135 (Publication Type: Evaluation Study, Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2010 Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2010, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

Topics

• Aged
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell (mortality, secondary, therapy)
• Combined Modality Therapy
• Esophageal Neoplasms (mortality, pathology, therapy)
• Esophagectomy
• Female
• Humans
• Kaplan-Meier Estimate
• Liver Neoplasms (mortality, secondary, therapy)
• Lung Neoplasms (mortality, secondary, therapy)
• Lymphatic Metastasis
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Recurrence
• Survival Rate