125 Background: Treatment for locally advanced esophageal carcinoma is radiation and chemotherapy, with or without surgery. Radiation has traditionally been delivered with 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT). This study evaluates late toxicity in patients treated with IMRT as well as early outcomes and acute toxicity. Methods: This is a retrospective review of 32 patients with esophageal carcinoma treated with IMRT at Mayo Clinic Florida from 2008 -2012. Pathology includes squamous cell and adenocarcinomas. Tumor sites include middle and lower thoracic and GE junction. Clinical stages are TX-T3, N0-3, M0-1. All patients received at least one cycle of concurrent chemotherapy. IMRT dose was 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions prescribed to a target volume including the tumor and regional lymphatics. IMRT plans utilized coplaner beams in a 7-9 beam arrangement or volumetric modulated arc therapy. Results: Median follow-up is 8.9 months (range 2.4-23.0) for all patients and 13.1 months (range 2.8-23.0 months) in surviving patients. Median patient age is 69 (range 46-87). Trimodality treatment was completed in 20 patients (62.5%). Surgery was either an open or minimally invasive esophagogastrectomy. The incidence of grade 3 or greater late toxicity at 1 year was 48% in surgery patients and 26% in non-surgery patients. The most common grade 3 or higher toxicity was esophageal strictures in 25%. The incidence of any grade 3 or greater acute toxicity was 65% in the surgery patients and 75% in the non-surgery patients. Overall survival (OS) for all patients at 18 months is 57% (CI 37-86%) and progression-free survival (PFS) is 60% (36-99%). OS and PFS for trimodality therapy at 12 months is 83% (66-100%) and 81% (63-100%) respectively and for bimodality therapy is 34% (12-93%) and 70% (33-100%) respectively. Conclusions: Increased late toxicity occurs in surgery patients, and increased acute toxicity in non-surgery patients. Lower survival in non-surgery patients may be due to early progression, morbidities which preclude surgery or improved survival with surgery. Overall, IMRT is a feasible treatment modality, which may be equally efficacious to 3D CRT for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma.
Radiation Therapy of Secondary Nodal Metastases in the Neck and Mediastinum after Resection of Esophageal Carcinoma
