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.
Effects of preoperative radiotherapy on survival of patients with stage II and III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
