Combined endoluminal and external irradiation of inoperable oesophageal carcinoma

Radiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer

The treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer is controversial. For patients who are candidates for surgical resection, multiple prospective clinical trials have demonstrated the advantages of neoadjuvant chemoradiation. For patients who are medically inoperable, definitive chemoradiation is an alternative approach with survival rates comparable to trimodality therapy. Although trials of dose escalation are ongoing, the standard radiation dose remains 50.4 Gy. Modern radiotherapy techniques such as image-guided radiation therapy with motion management and intensity-modulated radiation therapy are strongly encouraged with a planning objective to maximize conformity to the intended target volume while reducing dose delivered to uninvolved normal tissues.

Symptom relief effect of palliative high dose rate intracavitary radiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer with dysphagia

Intracavitary radiotherapy (ICRT) for the palliative treatment of advanced esophageal cancer with dysphagia is currently performed at the University of Tokyo Hospital (Tokyo, Japan). In the present study, 24 patients exhibiting advanced esophageal cancer with dysphagia received palliative ICRT. ICRT, which was delivered 5 mm below the esophageal mucous membrane, with the exception of one case, was administered at a dose of 6 Gy/fraction. Specific patients additionally underwent definitive or palliative external beam radiation therapy for esophageal cancer a minimum of three months prior to ICRT. The effect of treatment on symptom alleviation was examined by comparing the dysphagia score prior to and following ICRT, with the patients’ medical records and a questionnaire used to calculate a dysphagia score ranging from zero (no dysphagia) to four (total dysphagia). In consideration of the individual efficacy of the treatment, the maximum number of repeated ICRT fractions was four (median, 1.7 times). A trend in the improvement of the symptom of dysphagia was observed in response to esophageal ICRT, with the average dysphagia score markedly decreasing from 2.54 to 1.65, however, the difference was not significant (P=0.083). Furthermore, pain was the most frequent side-effect of the esophageal ICRT and no patients exhibited severe complications. Thus, esophageal ICRT at a dose of 6 Gy/fraction may present an effective strategy for relieving the symptom of dysphagia in cases of advanced esophageal cancer.

Predictors of outcome of single-dose brachytherapy for the palliation of dysphagia from esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

Single-dose brachytherapy is a commonly used palliative treatment modality for esophageal carcinoma, however, a considerable number of patients need additional treatment for persistent or recurrent dysphagia. Our aim was to establish predictors of an unfavorable outcome after single-dose brachytherapy.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Between December 1999 and July 2002, 95 patients with dysphagia from inoperable esophageal carcinoma were treated with single-dose (12 Gy) brachytherapy. Patients were followed-up prospectively by monthly home visits by a specialized research nurse. We investigated the patient and tumor characteristics that influence the risk of persistent dysphagia (continuing dysphagia within 4 weeks after treatment necessitating a second treatment) or recurrent dysphagia (occurring more than 4 weeks after treatment) after single-dose brachytherapy, using logistic and Cox regressions.

RESULTS

At 4 weeks after brachytherapy, the dysphagia score was improved in 62/84 (74%) patients. Major complications occurred in 11/95 (12%) patients. In total, 42/95 (44%) patients were treated for persistent (n = 18) and/or recurrent dysphagia (n = 28). Persistent dysphagia (n = 18) was caused by persisting obstructing tumor confirmed at endoscopy, and these patients were treated with stent placement. Patients needing dilation before treatment had a higher risk of persistent dysphagia (odds ratio = 4.1; 95% CI 1.3-12). There was a trend toward a higher risk of persistent dysphagia for patients previously treated with chemotherapy (odds ratio = 3.2; 95% CI 0.81-12). In total, 34 events of recurrent dysphagia occurred in 28 patients, caused by obstructing tumor regrowth (n = 26), food bolus obstruction (n = 5), or other reasons (n = 3). None of the investigated patient and tumor characteristics had a significant association with the risk of developing recurrent dysphagia. Of all patients needing additional treatment (42/95), those who needed dilation before treatment had a higher risk of persistent and/or recurrent dysphagia (hazard ratio = 2.1; 95% CI 1.1-4.1).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with stenotic esophageal tumors that cannot be bypassed or who previously underwent chemotherapy are poor candidates for single-dose brachytherapy. For these patients, a higher and/or fractionated dose of brachytherapy or alternative palliative treatment modalities should be considered.

The safety and usefulness of high-dose-rate endoluminal brachytherapy as a boost in the treatment of patients with esophageal cancer with external beam radiation with or without chemotherapy

PURPOSE

This study reports the results of a single-institution experience with high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRBT) used as a boost in the treatment of esophageal cancer with external beam radiation therapy (ERT) with or without chemotherapy.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patients without evidence of metastatic disease were identified. HDRBT was given before ERT with a dose of 20 Gy in 5 fractions. Patients with a Karnofsky performance of more than 70 received treatment with 50 Gy in 25 fractions and concurrent 5-fluorouracil and cis-platinum during Weeks 1 and 5, whereas patients with a Karnofsky performance of less than 70 were treated with radiation therapy alone with 35 Gy in 14 fractions.

RESULTS

Fifty-three patients received HDRBT treatment with combined ERT and chemotherapy and 17 patients with ERT alone. The incidence of acute bone marrow toxicity was 55% Grade 2 and 15% Grade 3, and 85% of patients had Grade 2 esophagitis. With a median follow-up time of 26 months, the median survival was 21 months; the 2-year local recurrence was 25%, and the 5-year survival rate was 28%.

CONCLUSION

HDRBT is safe and beneficial for local control in the radical treatment of patients with esophageal cancer.

Single-dose brachytherapy versus metal stent placement for the palliation of dysphagia from oesophageal cancer: multicentre randomised trial

BACKGROUND

Both single-dose brachytherapy and self-expanding metal stent placement are commonly used for palliation of oesophageal obstruction due to inoperable cancer, but their relative merits are unknown. We undertook a randomised trial to compare the outcomes of brachytherapy and stent placement in patients with oesophageal cancer.

METHODS

Nine hospitals in the Netherlands participated in our study. Between December, 1999, and June, 2002, 209 patients with dysphagia from inoperable carcinoma of the oesophagus or oesophagogastric junction were randomly assigned to stent placement (n=108) or single-dose (12 Gy) brachytherapy (n=101), and were followed up after treatment. Primary outcome was relief of dysphagia during follow-up, and secondary outcomes were complications, treatment for persistent or recurrent dysphagia, health-related quality of life, and costs. Analysis was by intention to treat.

FINDINGS

Nine patients (six [brachytherapy] vs three [stent placement]) did not receive their allocated treatments. None was lost to follow-up. Dysphagia improved more rapidly after stent placement than after brachytherapy, but long-term relief of dysphagia was better after brachytherapy. Stent placement had more complications than brachytherapy (36 [33%] of 108 vs 21 [21%] of 101; p=0.02), which was mainly due to an increased incidence of late haemorrhage (14 [13%] of 108 vs five [5%] of 101; p=0.05). Groups did not differ for persistent or recurrent dysphagia (p=0.81), or for median survival (p=0.23). Quality-of-life scores were in favour of brachytherapy compared with stent placement. Total medical costs were also much the same for stent placement (8215) and brachytherapy (8135).

INTERPRETATION

Despite slow improvement, single-dose brachytherapy gave better long-term relief of dysphagia than metal stent placement. Since brachytherapy was also associated with fewer complications than stent placement, we recommend it as the primary treatment for palliation of dysphagia from oesophageal cancer.

Cost study of metal stent placement vs single-dose brachytherapy in the palliative treatment of oesophageal cancer

Self-expanding metal stent placement and single-dose brachytherapy are commonly used for the palliation of oesophageal obstruction due to inoperable oesophagogastric cancer. We randomised 209 patients to the placement of an Ultraflex stent (n=108) or single-dose brachytherapy (12 Gy, n=101). Cost comparisons included comprehensive data of hospital costs, diagnostic interventions and extramural care. We acquired detailed information on health care consumption from a case record form and from monthly home visits by a specialised nurse. The initial costs of stent placement were higher than the costs of brachytherapy (€1500 vs €570; P<0.001). Total medical costs were, however, similar (stent €11 195 vs brachytherapy €10 078, P>0.20). Total hospital stay during follow-up was 11.5 days after stent placement vs 12.4 days after brachytherapy, which was responsible for the high intramural costs in both treatment groups (stent €6512 vs brachytherapy €7982, P>0.20). Costs for medical procedures during follow-up were higher after stent placement (stent €249 vs brachytherapy €168, P=0.002), while the costs of extramural care were similar (€1278 vs €1046, P>0.20). In conclusion, there are only small differences between the total medical costs of both palliative treatment modalities, despite the fact that the initial costs of stent placement are much higher than those of brachytherapy. Therefore, cost considerations should not play an important role in decision making on the appropriate palliative treatment strategy for patients with malignant dysphagia.

Palliative treatment by high–dose-rate intraluminal brachytherapy in patients with advanced esophageal cancer

PURPOSE

The aim of this work was to analyze the results of palliative HDR brachytherapy in patients with advanced esophageal cancer.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Ninety-one patients with unresectable, advanced esophageal cancer were treated palliatively by HDR brachytherapy. All patients received a total dose of 22.5 Gy in three fractions per week. Remissions of dysphagia and other clinical and radiological factors were assessed in the first month posttreatment, and then in the third, sixth, and twelfth months. The survival rate was compared with some chosen clinical factors using a log-rank test and the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

The median survival time among all patients was 8.2 months. The median survival time according to the obtained remission was 14.6, 7.2, and 3.8 months (log-rank p = 00001, F Cox p = 0.00001) for complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), and lack of remission (NR), respectively. A longer median survival time was observed when tumor size was less then 5 cm (12.1 months), than between 5 and 10 cm (7.8 months), or longer than 10 cm (6.4 months) (log-rank p = 0.002). Longer median survival times were observed in clinical stage II (14.1 months), compared with clinical stage III (7.7 months) and IV (7.2 months) (log-rank p = 0.01). Significant correlations were found between survival and the Karnofsky Performance Status, grade of dysphagia, and age.

CONCLUSIONS

HDR brachytherapy for advanced esophageal cancer allowed for improvement of dysphagia in most patients. The complete or partial remission, the older age of patients, and the lower grade of dysphagia observed in first month posttreatment were the most important prognostic factors allowing for prolonged survival (confirmed by a multivariate analysis). In the univariate analysis, important prognostic factors for prolonged survival were: a higher Karnofsky Performance Status, a lower clinical stage and a small tumor size.

High dose rate brachytherapy for the palliation of malignant dysphagia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is a commonly used palliative treatment for esophageal carcinoma. We evaluated the outcome of HDR brachytherapy in patients with malignant dysphagia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis over a 10-year period was performed of 149 patients treated with HDR brachytherapy, administered in one or two sessions, at a median dose of 15Gy. Patients were evaluated for functional outcome, complications, recurrent dysphagia, and survival.

RESULTS

At 6 weeks after HDR brachytherapy, dysphagia scores had improved from a median of 3 to 2 (n=104; P<0.001), however, dysphagia had not improved in 51 (49%) patients. Procedure-related complications occurred in seven (5%) patients. Late complications, including fistula formation or bleeding, occurred in 11 (7%) patients. Twelve (8%) patients experienced minor retrosternal pain. Median survival of the patients was 160 days with a 1-year survival rate of 15%. Procedure-related mortality was 2%. At follow-up, 55 (37%) patients experienced recurrent dysphagia. In 34 (23%) patients a metal stent was placed to relieve persistent or recurrent dysphagia.

CONCLUSION

HDR brachytherapy is a moderately effective treatment for the palliation of malignant dysphagia. The incidence of early major complications is low, however, persistent and recurrent dysphagia occur frequently, and require often additional treatment.

Late esophageal toxicity using a combination of external beam radiation, intraluminal brachytherapy and 5-fluorouracil infusion in carcinoma of the esophagus

One hundred patients with potentially curable squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus were treated using a combination of external beam radiation, medium-dose intraluminal brachytherapy (ILBT), and 5-fluorouracil infusion (as a radiosensitizer) from January 1990 to December 1993. The main objective was to determine late toxicity and optimization of the dose of intraluminal radiation. All patients had external radiation of 50 Gy over 5 1/2 weeks, followed by ILBT of 20 Gy for 50 patients (group 1) and 15 Gy for a subsequent 50 patients (group 2), using a dose rate of 315-330 cGy/h with the prescription at 1 cm off axis. The 5-fluorouracil infusion was 500 mg/m2 administered 12 h prior to ILBT. The treatment-related complications among groups 1 and 2 were strictures 24% vs. 8% (p = 0.029), ulceration 30% vs. 28% (p = 0.8), and tracheoesophageal fistulae 12% for both groups. The overall survival for groups 1 and 2 was 8% and 23% at 5 years. The development of life-threatening complications is a major concern and extreme caution is urged before selecting patients for a combination of ILBT and 5-fluorouracil treatment.

Chest pain following oesophageal stenting for malignant dysphagia

AIM

The palliative use of self-expanding metallic stents has been widely reported to relieve dysphagia in cases of oesophageal carcinoma. Little has been documented on the severity of chest pain following oesophageal stenting. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of pain with oesophageal stenting for malignant dysphagia.

METHODS

Fifty-two patients with inoperable oesophageal carcinoma underwent stent placement between 1995-1999. Daily opioid analgesic requirements (mg of morphine equivalent doses) were monitored for 3 days before and 7 days after stenting. The degree of palliation was expressed as a dysphagia score (0-3). Hospital stay, readmission days, stent complications and patient survival time were also recorded.

RESULTS

Twenty-six patients (50%) required opioid analgesia for chest pain (median dose: 80 mg morphine/day) within 48 h of the procedure compared to 11 (21.2%) patients before stenting (P = 0.0041). A significant increase was evident in the analgesic consumption following stent deployment (P < 0.001). The dysphagia score improved by a median value of 1 (CI 0.25)P < 0.001, with a re-intervention rate of 11.5%. The median survival time was 40 days post stenting (range 1-120).

CONCLUSION

A significant proportion of patients developed chest pain after oesophageal stenting, requiring high dose opioid analgesia. As the origin of the pain is still unknown, pre-emptive analgesia may a play role in reducing stent-related morbidity and possibly in-hospital stay.

High dose rate brachytherapy for superficial cancer of the esophagus

PURPOSE

We analyzed our experience with external radiotherapy, combined modality treatment, or HDR brachytherapy alone to limited esophageal cancers.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

From 1991 to 1996, 25 patients with limited superficial esophagus carcinomas were treated by high dose rate brachytherapy. The mean age was 63 years (43-86 years). Five patients showed superficial local recurrence after external radiotherapy. Eleven patients without invasion of the basal membrane were staged as Tis. Fourteen patients with tumors involving the submucosa without spreading to the muscle were staged as T1. Treatment consisted of HDR brachytherapy alone in 13 patients, external radiotherapy and brachytherapy in 8 cases, and concomitant chemo- and radiotherapy in 4 cases. External beam radiation was administered to a total dose of 50 Gy using 2 Gy daily fractions in 5 weeks. In cases of HDR brachytherapy alone (13 patients), 6 applications were performed once a week.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up is 31 months (range 24-96 months). Twelve patients received 2 applications and 13 patients received 6 applications. Twelve patients experienced a failure (48%), 11/12 located in the esophagus, all of them in the treated volume. One patient presented an isolated distant metastasis. In the patients treated for superficial recurrence, 4/5 were locally controlled (80%) by brachytherapy alone. After brachytherapy alone, 8/13 patients were controlled (61%). The mean disease-free survival is 14 months (1-36 months). Overall survival is 76% at 1 year, 37% at 2 years, and 14% at 3 years. Overall survival for Tis patients is 24% vs. 20% for T1 (p = 0.83). Overall survival for patients treated by HDR brachytherapy alone is 43%. One patient presented with a fistula with local failure after external radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Four stenosis were registered, two were diagnosed on barium swallowing without symptoms, and two required dilatations.

CONCLUSION

High dose rate brachytherapy permits the treating of patients with superficial esophageal cancer with good tolerance. Early tumors, located in the mucosa, might be treated by HDR brachytherapy alone or by a combined modality treatment in which HDR brachytherapy can take place like a boost. This approach may cure localized recurrences.