Radiotherapy for Cervical Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Treatment and Outcomes of Proximal Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

This study evaluated the treatment of proximal (cervical or upper thoracic) esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), for which chemoradiation is the recommended therapy.

METHODS

Treatment and outcomes of patients with cT1-3N0-1M0 proximal esophageal SCC in the National Cancer Database between 2004 and 2016 was evaluated using logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and propensity-score matching.

RESULTS

Therapy of 2159 patients was chemoradiation (n = 1500, 69.5%), no treatment (n = 205, 9.5%), surgery (n = 203, 9.4%), radiation alone (n = 190, 8.8%), and chemotherapy alone (n = 61, 2.8%). Factors associated with definitive therapy with either chemoradiation or surgery were younger age, non-Black race, being insured, cervical tumor location, clinical T2 and T3 stage, clinical nodal involvement, and treatment at a research/academic program. Five-year survival was significantly better in patients treated with definitive therapy than patients not treated definitively (34.0% vs. 13.3%, p < 0.001). In multivariable survival analysis, receiving definitive therapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.39, p = 0.017) was associated with improved survival, while increasing age, male sex, clinical T3 stage, positive clinical nodal involvement, and increasing Charlson Comorbidity Index were associated with worse survival. Esophagectomy was not associated with improved survival in multivariable analysis of the definitive therapy cohort (HR 0.84, p = 0.08) or propensity matched analysis. However, the pathologic complete response was only 33.3% (40/120) for patients who did have an esophagectomy after chemoradiation.

CONCLUSIONS

This national analysis supports definitive chemoradiation for not only cervical but also proximal thoracic esophageal SCC. Routine surgery does not appear to be necessary but may have a role in patients with residual disease after chemoradiation.

A modified tracheal transection approach for cervical esophageal lesion treatment: A report of 13 cases

BACKGROUND

Surgical interventions for tumors in the cervical esophageal region are complicated and laryngeal function is frequently sacrificed. Therefore, we attempted the tracheal transection approach to resect the tumor while preserving laryngeal function.

METHODS

Three patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), six with cervical esophageal cancer (CEC), and four with CEC mixed with thoracic esophageal cancer (TEC) were enrolled. The esophagus was exposed after the trachea was transected between the second and third tracheal rings. CEC/TEC: Resection of the esophagus or/and a portion of the hypopharynx with acceptable safety margins and repair with free jejunum or tubular stomach. PTC: Suture the small esophageal incision immediately after removing the tumor. The tracheal dissection was repaired with interrupted sutures throughout the entire layer after the esophageal lesion was resected. The status of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) determined whether a tracheotomy was necessary.

RESULTS

All 13 patients had effective esophageal lesion excision, with six of them requiring intraoperative tracheotomy. Postoperative complications included a tracheoesophageal fistula (one case, 7.7%), postoperative RLN paralysis (two cases, 15.4%), and aspiration (three cases, 23.1%). Except for two patients with distant metastases, there was no recurrence in the remaining patients after 5-92 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

The tracheal transection approach, as a new surgical technique, can retain laryngeal function while ensuring appropriate exposure and satisfactory surgical resection. Before surgery, the feasibility of this approach must be carefully assessed. The RLN should be protected during the procedure. The operation is both safe and effective, with a wide range of applications.

Treatment and Prognosis of Resectable Cervical Esophageal Cancer: A Population-based Study

BACKGROUND

The optimal treatment strategy for resectable cervical esophageal cancer (CEC) remains controversial. This study aimed to explore prognostic factors and optimal treatment strategies in the context of staging.

METHODS

In this population-based study, 1371 patients with resectable CEC were identified in the SEER database. Univariate analysis and multivariable Cox regression model were performed to evaluate factors related to overall survival (OS). Subgroup analysis based on staging was performed to assess the effect of treatments on survival and propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to adjust confounding factors.

RESULTS

Univariate and multivariable analyses revealed that age, sex, year of diagnosis, histological type, tumor size, cN stage, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are independent prognostic factors. After PSM, patients with local disease (cT_1-2N₀M₀) who received surgery alone had a higher 10-year OS rate than those received chemoradiotherapy (CRT) (20.7% vs. 11.4%, p = 0.023). Compared with CRT, surgery-based multimodal therapy did not increase the OS rate of patients (14.8% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.084). For regional disease (cT_3-4aN₀M₀/cT_1-4aN_1-3M₀), although surgery alone did not improve the OS rate of patients compared with CRT (7.3% vs. 8.2%, p = 0.18), we observed a significant difference in 10-year OS among patients who underwent surgery-based multimodal therapy versus those who underwent CRT (20.4% vs. 9.0%, p = 0.031).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with CRT, surgery alone improves the long-term survival of patients with localized disease, and surgery-based multimodal therapy increases the survival rate of patients with regional disease. Further studies are required to confirm our findings.

Optimal radiotherapy dose in cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy: A population based study

BACKGROUND

The optimal radiotherapy dose for locally advanced cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (C-ESqCC) treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (dCCRT) is unclear. Here, we aimed to compare the survival of those treated with high dose versus standard dose via a population based approach.

METHODS

Eligible C-ESqCC patients diagnosed between 2011 and 2017 were identified via the Taiwan Cancer Registry. We used propensity score (PS) weighting to balance observable potential confounders between groups. The hazard ratio (HR) of death and incidence of esophageal cancer mortality (IECM) were compared between high (60-70 Gy) and standard dose (50-50.4 Gy). We also evaluated the outcome in supplementary analyses via alternative approaches.

RESULTS

Our primary analysis consisted of 141 patients in whom covariates were well balanced after PS weighting. The HR of death when high dose was compared with standard dose was 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.4-1.03, p = 0.07). The HR of IECM was 0.74 (p = 0.45). The HR of OS remained similarly insignificant in supplementary analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed a trend in favor of high radiotherapy dose versus standard dose for C-ESqCC treated with dCCRT in this population-based nonrandomized study. Further studies are needed to confirm the findings of the study.