Long Noncoding RNA FAM201A Mediates the Radiosensitivity of Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer by Regulating ATM and mTOR Expression via miR-101

Background: The aim of the present study was to identify the potential long non-coding (lnc.)-RNA and its associated molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of the radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) in order to assess whether it could be a biomarker for the prediction of the response to radiotherapy and prognosis in patients with ESCC.

Methods: Microarrays and bioinformatics analysis were utilized to screen the potential lncRNAs associated with radiosensitivity in radiosensitive (n = 3) and radioresistant (n = 3) ESCC tumor tissues. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed in 35 ESCC tumor tissues (20 radiosensitive and 15 radioresistant tissues, respectively) to validate the lncRNA that contributed the most to the radiosensitivity of ESCC (named the candidate lncRNA). MTT, flow cytometry, and western blot assays were conducted to assess the effect of the candidate lncRNA on radiosensitivity in vitro in ECA109/ECA109R ESCC cells. A mouse xenograft model was established to confirm the function of the candidate lncRNA in the radiosensitivity of ESCC in vivo. The putative downstream target genes regulated by the candidate lncRNA were predicted using Starbase 2.0 software and the TargetScan database. The interactions between the candidate lncRNA and the putative downstream target genes were examined by Luciferase reporter assay, and were confirmed by PCR.

Results: A total of 113 aberrantly expressed lncRNAs were identified by microarray analysis, of which family with sequence similarity 201-member A (FAM201A) was identified as the lncRNA that contributed the most to the radiosensitivity of ESCC. FAM201A was upregulated in radioresistant ESCC tumor tissues and had a poorer short-term response to radiotherapy resulting in inferior overall survival. FAM201A knockdown enhanced the radiosensitivity of ECA109/ECA109R cells by upregulating ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expression via the negative regulation of miR-101 expression. The mouse xenograft model demonstrated that FAM201A knockdown improved the radiosensitivity of ESCC.

Conclusion: The lncRNA FAM201A, which mediated the radiosensitivity of ESCC by regulating ATM and mTOR expression via miR-101 in the present study, may be a potential biomarker for predicting radiosensitivity and patient prognosis, and may be a therapeutic target for enhancing cancer radiosensitivity in ESCC.

Adjuvant chemotherapy does not benefit patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

METHODS

The clinical data of patients with ESCC treated with chemoradiotherapy with or without AC were collected and retrospectively reviewed. The overall survival (OS), locoregional failure-free survival (LFFS) and distant failure-free survival (DFFS) rates were analyzed statistically.

RESULTS

A total of 187 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, 98 of whom were treated with CRT-alone, while 89 were treated with CRT-AC. Patient characteristics did not significantly differ between the CRT-alone and CRT-AC groups, with the exception of sex and the number of cycles of concurrent chemotherapy. Following CRT, 50 patients achieved complete response (CR), 67 had partial response (PR), 63 patients maintained stable disease (SD) and 7 developed progression of disease (PD). The OS, LFFS and DFFS at 1, 2 and 5 years for the entire cohort were 67.5, 41.4 and 27.2%; 68.7, 57.9 and 52.4%; and 78.5, 68.9 and 63.9%, respectively. The clinical N-stage, M-stage, and short-term response to CRT were identified as significant factors that influenced patient prognosis. No significant differences in OS, LFFS or DFFS were observed between the CRT-alone and CRT-AC groups for the entire cohort and for clinical N-stage, clinical M-stage and short-term response subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

The short-term response to CRT and the tumor clinical stage were significant prognosis factors for patients with ESCC treated with CRT. With current chemotherapy regimens, AC did not improve survival for patients with ESCC treated with CRT. The retrospective nature of the current study serves as a limitation; thus, further clinical trials are required to evaluate the efficacy of AC in patients with ESCC treated with CRT.

Proposed revision of the 8th edition AJCC clinical staging system for esophageal squamous cell cancer treated with definitive chemo-IMRT based on CT imaging

Purpose

To validate and propose revision of the 8th edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) clinical staging system for esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) patients treated with definitive intensity-modulated radiation therapy combined with concurrent chemotherapy (Chemo-IMRT) based on computed tomography (CT) imaging.

Methods

The clinical data of patients with ESCC treated with Chemo-IMRT were collected and retrospectively reviewed. All CT images were independently reevaluated and restaged according to the 8th edition AJCC staging system. The overall survival (OS) rates were analyzed statistically. ROC curves of the various parameters of the primary tumor and metastatic lymph nodes were generated in order to identify the cutoff values correlated to patient survival using the area under curve.

Results

The gross tumor volume of the primary tumor (GTV-prT) and the clinical N stage (cN) were independent factors that influenced OS. The 5-year OS rate of patients with GTV-prT ≤28 cm³, GTV-prT > 28 and ≤ 56 cm³, and GTV-prT > 56 cm³ were 54.6, 31.1 and 18.6%, respectively. The 5-year OS rate of patients with cN0, cN1 SLNM (−), cN2 SLNM (−), cN3 SLNM (−) and SLNM (+) were 62.8 (P < 0.001), 34.0 (P = 0.16), 20.0 (P = 0.785), 0 (P < 0.001) and 26.9%, respectively. After restaging the SLNM as regional MLNs, the 5-year OS rates of the patients with cN0, 1, 2 and 3 were 62.8, 36.3, 23.7 and 7.8%, respectively. Various GTV-prT were combined with the cN to establish a new clinical TNM staging system: I, GTV-prT1 and cN0; II, GTV-prT2 or 3 and cN0, GTV-prT1 and cN1; III, GTV-prT1 and cN2, GTV-prT2 and cN1,2; Iva, GTV-prT3 and cN1,2; IVb, GTV-prT_any and cN3; IVc, T_anyN_anyM1. Subsequently, the OS differed significantly between the adjacent GTV-prT cN categories, except those of stage I vs. II.

Conclusion

The SLNM should be dealt with as a regional rather than a distant disease in patients with ESCC when treated with CRT. The proposed nonsurgical staging system based on the GTV-prT and N appears to be a simple and accurate prognosis predictor for patients with ESCC who have undergone definitive Chemo-IMRT.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy combined with paclitaxel and platinum treatment regimens in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy and toxicity of combination treatment with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and concurrent chemotherapy with paclitaxel plus different platinum agents in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS

This retrospective study enrolled 242 patients treated with paclitaxel (135 mg/m²) plus platinum regimens. According to the different platinum agents used, patients were classified into: cisplatin 80 mg/m² (CP), nidaplatinum 80 mg/m² (NP), lobaplatin 35 mg/m² (LP), and oxaliplatin 135 mg m² (OP) groups, and survival and toxicity rates between the four groups were compared. The median overall survival (OS) was 31.1 months.

RESULTS

No significant differences were observed among the CP, NP, LP, and OP groups with regard to 3-year survival rates (46.2, 56.4, 45.7, and 29.0%, respectively). A stratified analysis indicated that 3-year survival rates were significantly lower in the OP group. Renal toxicities and gastrointestinal reactions were more frequent in the CP group than in the other three groups. Three-year survival rates were similar among patients receiving 2, 3, or ≥4 cycles of chemotherapy (40.1, 49.5, and 50.8%, respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated that tumor volume and maximum diameter of metastatic lymph nodes might be independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSION

Paclitaxel plus nidaplatinum or lobaplatin is recommended in locally advanced ESCC due to their satisfying therapeutic effects and less toxicity. Tumor volume and maximum diameter of metastatic lymph nodes are independent prognostic factors in ESCC patients receiving IMRT and concurrent chemotherapy.

Cervical lymph node metastasis classified as regional nodal staging in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after radical esophagectomy and three-field lymph node dissection

Background

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is most common in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The bi-directional spread is a key feature of LNM in patients with thoracic esophageal SCC (TE-SCC). The purpose of this study was to analyze the prognostic factors of survival in patients with TE-SCC with cervical lymph node metastasis (CLM) and validate the staging system of the current American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) in a cohort of Chinese patients.

Methods

Of 1715 patients with TE-SCC who underwent radical esophagectomy plus three-field lymph node dissection at a single hospital between January 1993 and March 2007, 547 patients who had pathologically confirmed CLM (296 had surgery only and 251 had surgery + postoperative radiotherapy) were included in this study. The locations of the lymph nodes (LNs) were classified based on the guidelines of the Japanese Society for Esophageal Diseases.

Results

The rate of CLM was 31.9% for all patients and was 44.2%, 31.5%, and 14.4% for patients with upper, middle, and lower TE-SCC, respectively (P < 0.0001). The rates of metastasis to 101 (paraesophageal lymph nodes), 104 (supraclavicular lymph nodes), 102 (deep cervical lymph nodes) and 103 (retropharyngeal lymph nodes) areas were 89.0%, 25.6%, 3.7% and 0.5%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate with CLM was 27.7% (median survival, 27.5 months). The 5-year OS rates were 21.3% versus 34.2% (median survival, 21.9 months versus 35.4 months) for after surgery only versus surgery + postoperative radiotherapy, respectively (P < 0.0001 for both). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent prognostic factors for survival were sex, pT stage, pN stage, number of fields with positive LNs, and treatment modality. In surgery only group, the 5-year OS rates were 24.1%, 16.2% and 11.7%, respectively, when there was metastasis to 101 LN alone, 104 LN alone or both 101 LN and 104 LN. The 5-year OS rates were 17.7%, 22.5% and 31.7%, for patients with upper, middle and lower TE-SCC , respectively (P = 0.112). The 5-year OS rates were 43.0%, 25.5%, 10.2% in patients with 1 field (cervical LNs), 2 fields (cervical + mediastinal, and/or cervical + abdominal LNs), and 3 fields (cervical + mediastinal + abdominal LNs) positive LNs, respectively (P < 0.0001). The number of fields of positive LNs did not impact the OS according to different pN stage (all P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Patients with TE-SCC with CLM have better prognosis, which supports the current AJCC staging system for esophageal SCC.

Adjuvant radiotherapy for stage pN1M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Results from a Chinese two-center study

Background

Whether postoperative radiotherapy is beneficial in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with one or two regional lymph node (LN) metastases (pN1) after esophagectomy is uncertain. This study aimed to explore the effect of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) on survival.

Methods

Propensity score‐matching (PSM) analysis was conducted to balance the two arms (surgery only [S] or surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy [PORT]). The survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan‐Meier method and analyzed using the log‐rank test.

Results

A total of 992 cases confirmed positive for one or two regional LN metastases were eligible. After PSM, 622 patients were reviewed. Each group consisted of 311 cases. The median follow‐up was 80.7 months. For the overall cohort, the one‐, three‐ and five‐year overall survival (OS) were 90.6%, 51.9% and 38.2%, respectively. Disease‐free survival (DFS) was 76.0%, 41.4% and 32.1%, respectively. The five‐year OS and DFS were 45.0% and 39.8% for PORT, which was significantly higher than the S group (31.3% and 24.2%, both P < 0.001). On subgroup analysis, PORT was associated with improved OS and DFS for patients with pathological stage pT3–4N1M0, compared with S group (five‐year OS 41.3% vs. 23.5%, P < 0.001; five‐year DFS 35.8% vs. 18.8%, P < 0.001). However, for pT1–2N1M0 patients, PORT did not benefit OS and DFS compared with S (P = 0.063).

Conclusions

In summary, the addition of PORT after esophagectomy was associated with a statistically significant improvement in OS and DFS for patients with pathological one or two lymph‐node positive pathology, in particular for stage pT3–4N1M0 patients.

Does chemoradiotherapy benefit elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer? A propensity-score matched analysis on multicenter data (3JECROG R-03A)

Background

The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or radiotherapy alone (RT-alone) in elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

The clinical data of patients with ESCC treated with RT-alone or CRT were collected and retrospectively reviewed. The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates and the clinical characteristics correlated with survival were analyzed statistically. Propensity score matching (PSM) analyses were used to compensate for differences in baseline characteristics between the CRT and RT-alone groups to confirm the survival difference.

Results

A total of 729 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Diabetes, primary tumor volume (pTV), primary tumor location (pTLo), clinical T stage,(cT) clinical N stage (cN), clinical M stage (cM) and short-term response to RT were independent factors influencing OS (P = 0.002–0.044). The 5-year OS rate was 26.6, 26.0 and 30.1% in the whole cohort, RT-alone and CRT groups, respectively. The survival difference between RT alone and CRT was not significant before or following PSM. Compared with the corresponding subgroups treated with RT alone, CRT significantly benefited patients with diabetes (P = 0.003), cT4 (P = 0.030) and cN0 (P = 0.049), whereas no benefit was identified between CRT and RT alone in the other subgroups, including cT1–3, cN1, cM, pTLo, pTV, age and gender.

Conclusions

CRT with the current chemotherapy regimens may not improve the survival of elderly ESCC patients compared to RT-alone, except in patients with cT4 stage, cN0 stage or diabetes. However, due to the limitation of the retrospective nature of the current study, further clinical trials are required for confirmation.

Overexpression of CHD1L is associated with poor survival and aggressive tumor biology in esophageal carcinoma

Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is a malignancy with high metastatic potential. Chromosomal helicase/ATPase DNA binding protein 1-like (CHD1L) gene is a newly identified oncogene located at Chr1q21, and it is amplified in many solid tumors. However, the status of CHD1L protein expression in EC and its clinical significance is uncertain. This study was designed to investigate the significance of CHD1L expression in human EC and its biological function in EC cells. The expression of CHD1L was examined by immunohistochemistry in 191 surgically resected ECs. The associations between CHD1L expression and clinical pathological parameters and the prognostic value of CHD1L were analyzed. Western blot analysis showed that CHD1L was overexpressed in EC cell lines. In addition, positive CHD1L expression was strongly related to advanced clinical stage (P<0.01), and lymph node metastasis (P<0.01) of EC. The Kaplan-Meier curve indicated that high expression of CHD1L may result in poor prognosis of EC patients (P<0.01), and multivariate analysis showed that CHD1L overexpression was an independent predictor of overall survival. Furthermore, suppression of CHD1L in EC cells increased apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation invasion ability. Our results suggest that CHD1L is a target oncogene with the potential to serve as a novel prognostic biomarker in EC pathogenesis.

Primary gross tumor volume is prognostic and suggests treatment in upper esophageal cancer

Background

To aid clinicians strategizing treatment for upper esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), this retrospective study investigated associations between primary gross tumor volume (GTVp) and prognosis in patients given surgical resection, radiotherapy, or both resection and radiotherapy.

Methods

The population comprised 568 patients with upper ESCC given definitive treatment, including 238, 216, and 114 who underwent surgery, radiotherapy, or combined radiotherapy and surgery. GTVp as a continuous variable was entered into the multivariate Cox model using penalized splines (P-splines) to determine the optimal cutoff value. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to adjust imbalanced characteristics among the treatment groups.

Results

P-spline regression revealed a dependence of patient outcomes on GTVp, with 30 cm³ being an optimal cut-off for differences in overall and progression-free survival (OS, PFS). GTVp ≥30 cm³ was a negative independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS. PSM analyses confirmed the prognostic value of GTVp. For GTVp < 30 cm³, no significant survival differences were observed among the 3 treatments. For GTVp ≥30 cm³, the worst 5-year OS rate was experienced by those given surgery. The 5-year PFS rate of patients given combined radiotherapy and surgery was significantly better than that of patients given radiotherapy. The surgical complications of patients given the combined treatment were comparable to those who received surgery, but radiation side effects were significantly lower.

Conclusion

GTVp is prognostic for OS and PFS in upper ESCC. For patients with GTVp ≥30 cm³, radiotherapy plus surgery was more effective than either treatment alone.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08838-w.

Primary tumor regression patterns in esophageal squamous cell cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy and implications for surveillance schemes

Purpose: The primary tumor regression patterns of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) were investigated to determine an optimal surveillance scheme.

Method: The clinical data and radiology images of patients before CRT, at completion of CRT and every 1–3 months for the subsequent 12 months or until disease progression were retrospectively reviewed to define the patterns of primary tumor regression after CRT. Survival rates were analyzed statistically in order to determine an optimal surveillance scheme.

Results: A total of 82 patients were enrolled in the present study for analysis. At the first surveillance visit date at the end of CRT, a total of 21 patients achieved complete response (early-CR), 29 patients reached incomplete response (IR), 25 patients maintained stable disease (SD) and 7 patients encountered progression of disease (PD). During subsequent surveillance, a total of 14 IR patients regressed continuously to CR (later-CR), 15 patients maintained IR (early-IR) and 9 SD patients gradually regressed to IR (later-IR). At full tumor regression (FTR), a total of 21, 14, 15, 9, 16 and 7 patients were defined as early-CR, later-CR, early-IR, later-IR, SD and PD, respectively. The median FTR time for later-CR and later-IR was 7.5 and 7 weeks, respectively. The 3-year overall survival rate of the early-CR group was 85.7% (P<0.001), which was higher compared with the later-CR (16.7%), early-IR (20%), later-IR (11.1%), SD (6.3%) and PD (0%) groups.

Conclusion: The early-CR following CRT is a robust prognostic predictor in patients with ESCC. To optimize the determination of tumor regression, ≥7 weeks after CRT is an optimal initial surveillance visit date. The surveillance of non-CR patients should concentrate on symptoms, nutrition and psychosocial support, rather than screening for recurrence of the disease.

Prognostic factors in patients with thoracic esophageal carcinoma staged pT1-4aN0M0 undergone esophagectomy with three-field lymphadenectomy

BACKGROUND

To analyze prognostic factors in patients with thoracic esophageal carcinoma staged pT1-4aN0M0 and undergone esophagectomy with 3-field lymphadenectomy and to evaluate the effect of postoperative radiotherapy.

METHODS

From January 1993 to March 2007, 770 patients with stage pT1-4aN0M0 underwent 3-field lymphadenectomy at Fujian Province Cancer Hospital, China were enrolled for analysis. The study consisted of 770 patients with stage pT1-4aN0M0 who underwent 3-field lymphadenectomy at Fujian Province Cancer Hospital, China. A total of 687 had received surgery only, and 83 patients had undergone surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy. Radiation dose was 50 Gy in 25 fractions.

RESULTS

The overall survival rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years were 92.9%, 80.8%, 71.7% and 57.4%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that age and T staging were two independent factors on prognoses. Five-year survival in cases younger and older than 60 were 76.5% vs. 63.3% (P=0.001), while those of pT1, pT2, pT3 and pT4a were 83.8%, 78.8%, 67.8% and 54.1%, respectively (P=0.000). Five-year survival in group of simple surgery was 71.3%, compared with 74.5% in group of surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy (P=0.763), while stratified analysis indicated that postoperative radiotherapy was able to boost the survival of patients in pT4a which were 72.4% vs. 33.8% (P=0.036) and to lower relapse rate of tumor bed in patients with pT4a (P=0.005). Multivariate analysis showed that age and T staging were two independent factors on prognoses.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with high T staging and at an age more than 60 turned out bad prognoses, neither could postoperative radiotherapy improve their survival.

Comparison of Two Major Staging Systems in Predicting Survival and Recommendation of Postoperative Radiotherapy Based on the 11th Japanese Classification for Esophageal Carcinoma After Curative Resection: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the prognostic predictive power of the 11th Japan Esophageal Society (JES) staging system with the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system in patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC), and to estimate the survival benefits of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) based on a substage of the JES staging system.

METHODS

Area under the curve (AUC) values of the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated to evaluate prognostic efficacy. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was conducted to balance the two groups (surgery only [S group] or surgery plus PORT [S+RT group]) across substages of the 11th JES staging system according to independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) identified using Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS

A total of 2960 patients were eligible. The 5-year OS AUC for the 8th AJCC staging system was significantly higher than that for the 11th JES staging system (0.701 vs. 0.675, p < 0.001). Before PSM, PORT significantly improved 5-year OS rates for patients in stage III and IVA by 9.1% (p < 0.001) and 21.1% (p < 0.001), respectively. After PSM, the 5-year OS rates in stage II, III, and IVA of the S+RT group were significantly higher than those in the S group (70.9%, 39.7%, and 35.1% vs. 57.8%, 27.2%, and 10.3%, respectively; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The 11th JES staging system was less capable of predicting prognosis than the 8th AJCC staging system and patients in stage III of the JES staging system were highly recommended to undergo PORT.

LIMD2 is a Prognostic and Predictive Marker in Patients With Esophageal Cancer Based on a ceRNA Network Analysis

Globally, esophageal cancer (ECA) is the seventh most common cancer and sixth most common cause of cancer-associated mortality. However, there are no reliable prognostic and predictive molecular markers for ECA; in addition, the pathogenesis of ECA is not fully elucidated. The expressions of circular RNAs (circRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) of ECA and control groups were obtained from the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data of our hospital, the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. Analyses of differentially expressed genes, the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA-competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, and functional/pathway enrichment were conducted. The key targets in the ceRNA network that showed significant results in survival Cox regression analyses were selected. Furthermore, analyses of immune infiltration and autophagy genes related to the key targets were performed. Seven circRNAs, 22 miRNAs, and 34 mRNAs were identified as vital genes in ECA; the nuclear factor-κ-gene binding (NF-κB) and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) signaling were identified as the most enriched pathways. In addition, the LIM domain containing 2 (LIMD2) was an independent predictor of prognosis in ECA patients and closely associated with immunity and autophagy. Moreover, quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) revealed significant upregulation of LIMD2 expression in ECA tissues. ECA may be closely correlated with NF-κB and PI3K/Akt signaling. In addition, LIMD2 could be a potential prognostic and predictive marker of ECA.

[Value of postoperative radiochemotherapy for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with lymph node metastasis]

OBJECTIVE

To retrospectively compare the efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) alone with that of postoperative radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy (CRT) for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (EPC) with positive lymph nodes, and to evaluate the clinical value of RT + CRT.

METHODS

304 EPC patients underwent esophagectomy with three-field lymph node dissection had pathological lymph node metastases, but no hematogenous distant metastasis. Among them, 140 cases underwent postoperative RT alone, and 164 cases underwent postoperative CRT. The dose of irradiation was 50 Gy, and the chemotherapy regimen was taxol and cis-platinum, and a cycle was 21 days.

RESULTS

The 1-, 3- and 5-year total survival rates of the whole group were 90.1%, 56.6% and 43.3%, respectively, with a median survival time of 49.7 months. The 5-year overall survival rates of the CRT and RT groups were 47.4% and 38.6%, respectively (P = 0.030), with a median survival time of 53.5 and 41.7 months, respectively (P = 0.030). The overall survival rates of the patients who underwent 1, 2, 3, 4 cycles of chemotherapy were 24.4%, 53.0%, 58.1% and 43.3%, respectively (P = 0.007). Among them, the 5-year total survival rate of patients with 2-4 cycles of chemotherapy was significantly better than that of patients who underwent one cycle of chemotherapy (P = 0.001). Univariate analysis showed that number of metastatic lymph nodes, pT stage, therapeutic regimen and number of chemotherapy cycles were significantly correlated with the prognosis of the patients (P < 0.05 for all). Multivariate analysis showed that number of metastatic lymph nodes, pT stage, and number of chemotherapy cycles were independent prognostic factors of the patients (P < 0.05 for all). Early toxic effects including neutropenia, radiation esophagitis, and gastrointestinal effects were significantly more severe in the CRT group than that in the RT group (P < 0.05), however, there were no significant differences of late toxic effects between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Postoperative CRT for thoracic EPC with positive lymph nodes can improve the survival rate, with tolerable adverse effects.

Influence of age as a continuous variable on survival outcomes and treatment options in patients with upper thoracic esophageal carcinoma

Background: This retrospective review of patients with upper thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) analyzed the prognostic value of age, as a continuous variable, and offered insight into treatment options. Methods: 568 upper ESCC patients underwent radical therapy between 2004 and 2016. Age as a continuous variable was entered into the Cox regression model with penalized spline (P-spline) analysis to investigate a correlation between age and survival outcomes. Results: Before adjustment, P-spline regression revealed U-shaped survival curves. Sixty years was the optimal cut-off age for differences in overall and progression-free survival (OS, PFS). The cohort was divided into age groups ≤ 50, 51-69, and ≥ 70 years. Multivariate analyses showed no significant differences in either PFS or OS for patients aged ≤ 50 and 51-69 years. After adjusting for covariates, P-spline regression showed that the risk of mortality and disease progression increased with age, and ≥ 70 years was an unfavorable independent prognostic factor. For age ≥ 70 years, the OS and PFS associated with non-surgery was comparable to that of surgery. For patients younger, the OS and PFS of patients given surgery was significantly better than that of patients given non-surgery. Conclusion: Age was an independent prognostic factor for upper ESCC. Patients ≥ 70 years achieved no significant survival benefit from surgery, but for those younger than 70 years surgery was the preferred treatment option.

Effect of Adjuvant Radiation Dose on Survival in Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: For patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with surgery alone, the incidence of local-regional recurrence remains unfavorable. Postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) has been associated with increased local-regional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), although its application is limited by concerns of PORT-related toxicities. Methods: Among 3591 patients with ESCC analyzed in this study, 2765 patients with T3-4N0 and T1-4N1-3 lesions and specific local-regional status information were analyzed in a subsequent analysis of adjuvant radiation dose (aRTD) effect. Application of the restricted cubic spline regression model revealed a non-linear relationship between aRTD and survival/radiotoxicity. Linear regression analysis (LRA) was performed to evaluate correlations between LRFS and overall survival (OS)/ disease-free survival (DFS). Results: For patients staged T1−2N0, T1−2N1−3, T3−4N0, and T3−4N1−3, 5-year OS in PORT and non-PORT groups were 77.38% vs. 72.91%, p = 0.919, 52.35% vs. 46.60%, p = 0.032, 73.41% vs. 61.19%, p = 0.005 and 38.30% vs. 25.97%, p < 0.001. With aRTD escalation, hazard ratios (HRs) of OS/DFS declined until aRTD exceeded 50Gy, then increased, whereas that of LRFS declined until aRTD exceeded 50 Gy, then remained steady. HR of treatment-related mortality was stable until aRTD exceeded 50 Gy, then increased. LRA revealed strong correlations between LRFS and OS/DFS (r = 0.984 and r = 0.952, respectively). An absolute 1% advancement in LRFS resulted in 0.32% and 0.34% improvements in OS and DFS. Conclusions: An aRTD of 50Gy was well-tolerated, with favorable survival resulting from PORT-related LRFS improvement in patients staged T3−4N0 or T1-4N1−3. Further stratification analyses based on tumor burden would help determine potential PORT-beneficiaries.

Effectiveness of S-1-Based Chemoradiotherapy in Patients 70 Years and Older With Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Double-agent intravenous chemotherapy concurrent with radiotherapy is the standard of care for patients with inoperable esophageal cancer. However, patients tend to tolerate intravenous chemotherapy less well with age and comorbidities. It is essential to find a better treatment modality that improves survival outcomes without reducing the quality of life.

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of simultaneous integrated boost radiotherapy (SIB-RT) with concurrent and consolidated oral S-1 chemotherapy for patients aged 70 years and older with inoperable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This multicenter, phase III randomized clinical trial was conducted between March 2017 and April 2020 in 10 centers in China. Patients with inoperable, locally advanced, clinical stage II to IV ESCC were enrolled and randomized to receive SIB-RT concurrent with and followed by oral S-1 chemotherapy (CRTCT group) or SIB-RT alone (RT group). Data analysis was completed on March 22, 2022.

Interventions

In both groups, the planning gross tumor volume was administered with radiation dose of 59.92 Gy and the planning target volume was administered with radiation dose of 50.4 Gy, in 28 fractions each. In the CRTCT group, concurrent S-1 was administered on radiotherapy days, and consolidated S-1 was administered at 4 to 8 weeks after SIB-RT.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was overall survival (OS) of the intent-to-treat population. Secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS) and toxicity profile.

Results

A total of 330 patients (median [IQR] age, 75.5 [72-79] years; 220 [66.7%] male patients) were included, with 146 patients randomized to the RT group and 184 randomized to the CRTCT group. A total of 107 patients (73.3%) in the RT group and 121 patients (67.9%) in the CRTCT group were clinically diagnosed with stage III to IV disease. At the time of analysis of the 330 patients in the intent-to treat-population (March 22, 2022), OS was improved in the CRTCT group compared with the RT group at 1 year (72.2% vs 62.3%) and 3 years (46.2% vs 33.9%; log-rank P = .02). PFS was similarly improved in the CRTCT group compared with the RT group at 1 year (60.8% vs 49.3%) and 3 years (37.3% vs 27.9%; log-rank P = .04). There was no significant difference in the incidence of treatment-related toxic effects higher than grade 3 between the 2 groups. Grade 5 toxic effects occurred in each group, including 1 patient who experienced myelosuppression and 4 patients with pneumonitis in the RT group and 3 patients with pneumonitis and 2 patients with fever in the CRTCT group.

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings suggest that oral S-1 chemotherapy administered with SIB-RT should be considered as an alternative treatment option for patients aged 70 years and older with inoperable ESCC, since it improved survival outcomes without additional treatment-related toxic effects compared with SIB-RT alone.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02979691.

[Prognostic analysis of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the prognostic factors of cervical lymph node metastasis (CLN) in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC), and to probe and verify the esophageal carcinoma staging of the 7th edition of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system.

METHODS

A total of 1 715 TESCC patients underwent radical esophagectomy plus three-field lymph node dissection at Fujian Provincial Cancer Hospital between January 1993 and March 2007. 547 patients had pathological metastasis of CLN, and 296 patients received surgery only (S group) and 251 patients received postoperative radiotherapy (S+R group). The prognostic factors were analyzed and the pattern of recurrence and metastases was studied according to the esophageal carcinoma staging criteria of the 7th edition of AJCC TNM staging system.

RESULTS

The metastasis rate of CLN was 31.9% for the entire group, 44.2%, 31.5% and 14.4% for the upper, middle and lower TESCC, respectively (P < 0.001). The 5-year overall survival rate of the patients with metastatic CLN was 27.7%, and the median overall survival time was 27.5 months. The 5-year survival rate was 21.3% in the S group and 34.2% in the S+R group, and the median survival time was 21.9 months in the S group and 35.4 months in the S+R group (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that gender, lesion length in X-ray, N stage, AJCC stage and treatment modality were independent prognostic factors of CLN metastasis in TESCC. Independent prognostic factors for S group included the primary tumor site, pT stage, N stage and AJCC stage, and N stage was an independent prognostic factor for the S+R group.

CONCLUSIONS

TESCC with CLN metastasis have a better prognosis after surgery. It supports that cervical lymph nodes belong to regional lymph nodes classified in the 7th edition of AJCC TNM staging system.