Prognostic impact of postoperative radiation in patients undergoing radical esophagectomy for pathologic lymph node positive esophageal cancer

Adjuvant treatment patterns for pT3N0M0 esophageal cancer undergoing surgery

To assess adjuvant treatment patterns on survival in patients with pT3N0M0 esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Stage pT3N0M0 esophageal cancer patients were assessed between 2000 and 2020 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results databases. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare overall survival (OS) among various treatment patterns. We identified 445 patients: 252 (56.6%) received surgery alone, 85 (19.1%) received surgery+chemoradiotherapy, 80 (18.0%) underwent surgery+chemotherapy, and 28 (6.3%) received surgery+ radiotherapy. For squamous cell carcinoma, surgery+chemoradiotherapy ([hazard ratio] HR = 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65-1.66; P = 0.873), surgery+chemotherapy (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.42-1.22; P = 0.221), and surgery+radiotherapy (HR = 1.33, 95% CI: 0.74-2.39; P = 0.341) had similar OS compared to surgery alone. For adenocarcinoma, surgery+chemoradiotherapy (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.36-0.74; P < 0.001) and surgery+chemotherapy (HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.42-0.87; P = 0.006) had better OS compared to surgery alone. However, surgery+radiotherapy had a comparable OS (HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.44-1.49; P = 0.495).Adjuvant treatments did not improve survival in stage pT3N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients. In contrast, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy were recommended for esophageal adenocarcinoma patients.

Postoperative Radiotherapy in Curatively Resected Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Occult Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Lymph Node Metastasis

OBJECTIVES

Surgery is the mainstream treatment for early-stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and occult recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis (RLNM) is not uncommon among those with R0 resection. The clinical value of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in patients with RLNM only is still controversial.

METHODS

Consecutive patients with early-stage ESCC treated with R0 resection and pathologically confirmed RLNM only from June 2012 to July 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. PORT, covering the supraclavicular and superior mediastinum area (small T-field) at a dose of 50.4 Gy for 28 fractions, was performed in some patients. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance the baseline characteristics between patients with or without PORT. Pattern of failure, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were compared.

RESULTS

Among the 189 patients identified, 69 (35.5%) received PORT and the other 120 (63.5%) did not. After PSM, 154 patients were included in the matched cohort, including 62 in the PORT group and 92 in the non-PORT group. With a median follow-up of 48 (95% CI: 40.3-55.7) months, 69 patients developed their initial disease recurrence in the whole population and PORT significantly decreased the frequency of local recurrence (61.2% vs 21.4%) among those with recurrent disease. Additionally, in the PSM matched cohort, PORT significantly prolonged patients' DFS (HR 0.393, P = 0.002) and OS (HR 0.462, P = 0.020). Moreover, PORT remained as the independent factor associated with improved DFS (HR 0.360, P = 0.001) and OS (HR 0.451, P = 0.021) after multivariate Cox analyses. In addition, tumor location and pathological TNM stage were found to be independent prognostic factors associated with survival outcomes.

CONCLUSION

PORT is associated with improved DFS and OS in ESCC patients with R0 resection and RLNM only, which warrants future validation.

Severe radiation-induced lymphopenia during postoperative radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy has poor prognosis in patients with stage IIB-III after radical esophagectomy: A post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Objective

To investigate whether radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) affects survival and identify the predictors of RIL in postoperative esophageal cancer.

Materials and methods

Post hoc analysis was conducted on data from 116 patients with esophageal cancer from a randomized controlled trial comparing adjuvant therapy with surgery alone. Doses of 54 Gy in 27 fractions was delivered in the postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) group and 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions combined with chemotherapy was delivered in postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (POCRT) group. Blood counts were obtained before, during, and at first follow-up after treatment. Lymphopenia was graded per version 4.03 of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and compared between groups using the log-rank test. Receiver operating characteristic curves identified thresholds for preventing grade 4 (G4) lymphopenia.

Results

Median follow-up duration was 56.0 months. During treatment, 16 patients (13.8%) had G4 lymphopenia. All cases of G4 lymphopenia occurred in group PORT (30.2% vs 0.0%, p<0.001). Baseline absolute lymphocyte count was comparable between G1-3 and G4 patients (2.0 ± 0.8 *10⁹/L vs 1.7 ± 0.5 *10⁹/L; p=0.101). The 3-year DFS was significantly lower in group G4 lymphopenia than that in group G1-3 (31.3% vs 57.6%, p=0.036). The 3-year OS was comparable between both groups (50.0% vs 66.5%, p=0.095). Logistic regression analysis revealed that exposed more thoracic marrow (TM V20 ≥75%; TVB V20 ≥71%), heart (V15 ≥40%) and PTV (volume ≥507 ml) were associated with G4 lymphopenia (p<0.05).

Conclusions

G4 RIL had poor disease-free survival, which may be related to more dose exposure of thoracic marrow and heart due to larger PTV. Reasonably reducing the radiation field combined with concurrent chemotherapy, or radiation dose constraints for these normal tissues may be sufficient to decrease the incidence of G4 lymphopenia, but further prospective trials are needed to verify the results.

Clinical Trial Registration

clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT02279134

Postoperative Adjuvant Therapy Versus Surgery Alone for Stage IIB-III Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Retrospective studies have shown that adjuvant treatment improves survival of patients with stage IIB-III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, but there is no evidence from prospective trials so far.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with pathological stage IIB-III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were randomly assigned to receive surgery alone (SA), postoperative radiotherapy (PORT), or postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (POCRT). PORT patients received 54 Gy in 27 fractions; the POCRT group received 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions, plus concurrent chemotherapy with paclitaxel (135-150 mg/m² ) and cisplatin or nedaplatin (50-75 mg/m² ) every 28 days. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS), and the secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

A total of 172 patients were enrolled (SA, n = 54; PORT, n = 54; POCRT, n = 64). The 3-year DFS was significantly better in PORT/POCRT patients than in SA patients (53.8% vs. 36.7%; p = .020); the 3-year OS was also better in PORT/POCRT patients (63.9% vs. 48.0%; p = .025). The 3-year DFS for SA, PORT, and POCRT patients were 36.7%, 50.0%, 57.3%, respectively (p = .048). The 3-year OS for SA, PORT, and POCRT patients were 48.0%, 60.8%, 66.5%, respectively (p = .048).

CONCLUSION

PORT/POCRT (especially POCRT) may significantly improve DFS and OS in stage IIB-III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The results of this phase III study indicated that postoperative radiotherapy/postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (PORT/POCRT) could significantly improve disease-free survival and overall survival in stage IIB-III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared with surgery alone with acceptable toxicities. In-field and out-of-field recurrences were comparable between the POCRT and PORT groups, which demonstrates the rationality and safety of the radiation field used in this study. The postoperative regimens in this trial might be accepted as standard treatment options for pathological stage IIB-III esophageal cancer. Larger sample size prospective randomized trials to identify the value are warranted.

Correlates of Long-Term Survival of Patients with pN+ Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma after Esophagectomy

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common pathological type of esophageal cancer in China. Patients with ESCC have poor long-term survival, especially those with lymphatic metastasis (pN + ESCC). In this retrospective study, we evaluated the correlates of long-term survival time of patients with pN + ESCC. A total of 453 patients with pN + ESCC who underwent surgical R0 resection between Jan 2008 and Sep 2011 were enrolled. The follow-up ended on December 2019. The clinical, pathological, inflammation-related factors and general survival data of these patients were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 software. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 73.7%, 34.6%, and 25.6%, respectively; the 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 45.0%, 26.3%, and 20.4%, respectively. The median OS and DFS were 23 and 14 months, respectively. On multivariate analyses, gender, site of lesion, number of dissected lymph nodes, stage pTNM, adjuvant therapy, and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio were independent predictors of OS. Site of lesion, stage pTNM, and adjuvant therapy were independent predictors of DFS. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) scores of each patient were calculated based on the independent predictors of OS, and the patients were divided into 3 classes: low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk. The OS, DFS, and local recurrence-free survival were significantly different among these three RPA classes (P < 0.001). Several factors showed an independent association with long-term postoperative survival of pN + ESCC patients after radical surgery. RPA scores can potentially be used to predict the prognosis of ESCC.

Postoperative Adjuvant Therapy for Patients with pN+ Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common pathological type of esophageal cancer in China. However, patient survival time after surgery remains unsatisfactory, especially in those who are pN+. This retrospective study determined the value of postoperative adjuvant therapy for patients with pN+ ESCC. From Jan 2008 to Sep 2011, 453 pN+ ESCC patients who underwent R0 resection and survived for at least 1 month were retrospectively enrolled. All patients received surgery. Some patients received surgery alone (SA, n = 131), and others received postoperative chemotherapy (POCT, n = 222), radiotherapy (PORT, n = 57), or sequential chemoradiotherapy (POCRT, n = 43). The follow-up ended on 1 Dec 2019. The 5-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and locoregional recurrence (LR) were significantly worse in the SA group (15.2%, 13.1%, and 71.6%, all p < 0.05) than in the POCT group (28.0%, 20.8%, and 66.5%), the PORT group (27.4%, 24.4%, and 46.9%), and the POCRT group (42.8%, 35.5%, and 43.0%). Furthermore, compared with the SA group, the median OS and DFS were significantly longer in the POCT, PORT, and POCRT groups (all p < 0.05). PORT and POCRT (but not POCT) also significantly reduced the LR (p < 0.01). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that each type of postoperative therapy was independently associated with improvements in OS, DFS, and LR. Postoperative adjuvant therapy—either POCT, PORT, or POCRT—significantly improved OS and DFS in patients with pN+ ESCC after R0 surgery. PORT and PORCT significantly reduced LR in these patients.

Postoperative Radiotherapy for Thoracic Esophageal Carcinoma with Upfront R0 Esophagectomy

Multidisciplinary therapies can improve the survival of patients with locally advanced esophageal carcinoma. However, the determination of the optimal modality is still a controversial subject. Many randomized controlled trials in the late 20th century showed that there was no survival benefit when postoperative radiotherapy was added to surgery for esophageal carcinoma. As a result, the treatment modality shifted thereafter to neoadjuvant therapies. Even so, these trials are criticized for many limitations and an increasing number of studies (mainly nonrandomized controlled trials) has indicated that postoperative radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy can improve the survival of patients with a poor prognosis after R0 esophagectomy. Additionally, a large number of patients with locally advanced esophageal carcinoma still choose upfront surgery in the clinical practice due to many reasons. Therefore, postoperative radiotherapy seems to be a feasible treatment for these patients with a poor prognosis, particularly in the new era of conformal radiotherapy. Here, we review published studies on postoperative radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy, and we discuss the clinical issues related to postoperative radiotherapy, such as the indication, target volume, total radiation dosage, time interval and complications of postoperative radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy, to make recommendations of postoperative radiotherapy for both current practice and future research in esophageal carcinoma.

Postoperative radiotherapy for the young-old patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A 2-center experience

This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the efficacy and safety of esophagectomy and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) for patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC) in the young-old (aged between 65 and 75 years).The clinical data of 166 young-old patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy and PORT from May 2004 to May 2018 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and The PLA Cancer Center, Jinling Hospital were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). The log-rank method was used to test the differences. The Cox regression model was used for the multivariate prognostic analysis.The follow-up rate was 98.5%, and the median follow-up time was 41.2 months. The whole 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 92.0%, 69.3%, and 58.3%, respectively, and the median OS was 64.7 months (95% CI, 58.3-71.1). The median DFS was 57.9 months (95% CI, 47.4-68.4), and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS rates were 84.8%, 61.5%, and 44.6%, respectively. The median LRFS was 60.8 months (95% CI, 50.5-71.0), and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year LRFS rates were 85.8%, 64.94%, and 53.9%, respectively. The median DMFS was 65.0 months (95% CI, 60.6-69.6), and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year DMFS rates were 91.9%, 77.0%, and 67.5%, respectively. Pathological T staging, lymph node metastasis, pathologic staging, and Karnofsk Performance Status (KPS) were the main factors affecting prognosis. In addition, T staging, lymph node metastasis are also independent prognostic factors. Little severe toxicity was observed.The result indicates that PORT for TESCC patients who can tolerate surgery is safe in the young-old. The efficacy is similar to that of previous patients including younger populations. Pathological T and N stage are major factors that affect prognosis. Concurrent chemotherapy may not improve the survival of the young-old patients undergoing postoperative radiotherapy.

A phase-II/III randomized controlled trial of adjuvant radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy after surgery versus surgery alone in patients with stage-IIB/III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery is the most common approach for patients with resectable esophageal cancer. Nevertheless, considerable numbers of esophageal-cancer patients undergo surgery as the first treatment. The benefit of neoadjuvant therapy might only be for patients with a pathologic complete response, so stratified research is necessary. Postoperative treatments have important roles because of the poor survival rates of patients with stage-IIB/III disease treated with resection alone. Five-year survival of patients with stage-IIB/III thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC) after surgery is 20.0–28.4%, and locoregional lymph-node metastases are the main cause of failure. Several retrospective studies have shown that postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) and postoperative chemoradiotherapy (POCRT) after radical esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma with positive lymph-node metastases and stage-III disease can decrease locoregional recurrence and increase overall survival (OS). Using intensity-modulated RT, PORT reduces locoregional recurrence further. However, the rate of distant metastases increases to 30.7%. Hence, chemotherapy may be vital for these patients. Therefore, a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) is needed to evaluate the value of PORT and concurrent POCRT in comparison with surgery alone (SA) for esophageal cancer.

Method

This will be a phase-II/III RCT. The patients with pathologic stage-IIB/III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma will receive concurrent POCRT or PORT after radical esophagectomy compared with those who have SA. A total of 120 patients in each group will be recruited. POCRT patients will be 50.4 Gy concurrent with paclitaxel (135–150 mg/m²) plus cisplatin or nedaplatin (50–75 mg/m²) treatment every 28 days. Two cycles will be required for concurrent chemotherapy. The prescription dose will be 54 Gy for PORT. The primary endpoint will be disease-free survival (DFS). The secondary endpoint will be OS. Other pre-specified outcome measures will be the proportion of patients who complete treatment, toxicity, and out-of-field regional recurrence rate between PORT and POCRT.

Discussion

This prospective RCT will provide high-level evidence for postoperative adjuvant treatment of pathologic stage-IIB/III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Trial registration

clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02279134). Registered on October 26, 2014.

Randomized phase II trial comparing tumor bed alone with tumor bed and elective nodal postoperative radiotherapy in patients with locoregionally advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

This study compares the outcomes of different postoperative radiation fields for locoregionally advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. This is a multi-institution randomized phase II trial and noninferior study. Patients with ESCC who had undergone esophagectomy (stage T3-4N0-3M0) were enrolled and randomized into the large-field irradiation arm (LFI; tumor bed and elective lymph node region) and small-field irradiation arm (SFI; tumor bed only). The primary endpoint was whether the disease-free survival (DFS) of SFI was not inferior to LFI. The secondary endpoint was to evaluate the rationality of the radiation target volume by analyzing failure patterns. One hundred twenty-one patients (64 patients for LFI and 57 patients for SFI, respectively) were eligible in this mid-time analysis. The 1- and 3-year DFS was 79.9%, 46.2% for LFI and 67.6%, 44.3% for SFI, respectively (P = 0.414). The locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) of LFI was significantly better than that of SFI (P = 0.003). However, there were no significant differences in the distant metastasis-free survival and overall survival between the two arms (P = 0.332, P = 0.405, respectively). The failure patterns of the two arms were significantly different (P = 0.002). For pT3-4N0-3M0 ESCC patients, postoperative radiotherapy with SFI showed a similar survival outcome to LFI. However, the LRFS of patients with SFI was worse than that of patients with LFI.

Difference in failure patterns of pT3-4N0-3M0 esophageal cancer treated by surgery vs surgery plus radiotherapy

BACKGROUND

There has been no study comparing the difference in the failure patterns between patients with or without postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) after esophagectomy for pT3-4N0-3M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

AIM

To investigate the difference in the failure patterns of stage pT3-4N0-3M0 ESCC patients with or without PORT.

METHODS

Patients with stage pT3-4N0-3M0 ESCC, who underwent surgery with or without PORT, were enrolled in this study. The primary endpoint was to investigate the difference in the failure patterns between patients with or without PORT after esophagectomy. The secondary endpoint was to estimate whether patients with stage pT3-4 ESCC could achieve a disease-free survival (DFS) advantage after receiving adjuvant PORT. Statistical analyses were performed by the Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression model, and Chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test.

RESULTS

In total, 230 patients with stage pT3-4N0-3M0 ESCC were included in this study. Fifty-six patients who received PORT were screened from a prospective cohort (S + R arm). And 174 patients involving surgery alone were retrospectively selected from July 2006 to October 2014 (S arm). There were no significant differences in the clinical or pathological characteristics of patients between the two arms, except for tumor location (P = 0.031). The failure patterns between the two arms were significantly different (P < 0.001). Patients in the S arm had a significantly higher proportion of locoregional recurrence and a lower proportion of distant metastasis than those in the S + R arm (92.0% vs 35.7%, P < 0.001 and 19.0% vs 75.0%, P < 0.001, respectively). The difference in the median DFS between the two arms was statistically significant (12.7 vs 8 mo, P = 0.048). Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis both demonstrated that the number of lymph node metastases ≥ 3 (HR = 0.572, 95%CI: 0.430-0.762, P < 0.001) was an independent poor prognostic factor for DFS in patients with stage pT3-4N0-3M0 ESCC.

CONCLUSION

PORT could improve DFS and local control of patients with stage pT3-4N0-3M0 ESCC. However, further studies need to be conducted to control hematogenous metastasis after PORT.

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.

The impact of adjuvant therapies on patient survival and the recurrence patterns for resected stage IIa-IVa lower thoracic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

This study evaluated the impact of adjuvant therapies on patient survival and disease recurrence patterns to identify an effective adjuvant therapy for resected lower thoracic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LTESCC).

Methods

Clinical data of 127 patients with stage IIa-IVa LTESCC with a minimum 2-year follow-up after oesophagectomy were analysed. The survival and recurrence patterns were compared among patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, or surgery alone.

Results

Eighty-eight patients (69.3%) were identified as having disease recurrence. The regional lymph node recurrence rate was 57.5%, and the recurrence rates were high in the lower neck, upper mediastinum, and upper abdomen. Compared to surgery alone, adjuvant radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy significantly decreased the recurrence rate (p < 0.05). Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy significantly improved overall survival, disease-free survival, and locoregional recurrence-free survival compared to surgery alone (p = 0.01, 0.01, and 0.00, respectively). Pathologically positive lymph nodes (PPLNs) in the lower mediastinum represented a potential risk factor for cervical recurrence (HR 2.97, 95%CI 1.19–7.39). Multivariable analysis showed that postoperative radiotherapy (HR 0.30, 95%CI 0.13–0.68) and PPLNs in the upper mediastinum (HR 3.72, 95%CI 1.30–10.67) were independent risk factors for upper mediastinal recurrence, while postoperative radiotherapy (HR 0.37, 95%CI 0.16–0.85) and PPLNs in the abdomen (HR 2.57, 95%CI 1.12–5.92) were independent risk factors for abdominal recurrence.

Conclusion

Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was the most effective adjuvant therapy for resected stage IIa-IVa LTESCC. The lower neck, upper mediastinum, and upper abdomen were high-risk regions for postoperative radiotherapy. The regions of PPLNs may be important factors for individual targets.

Comparison of the effect of postoperative radiotherapy with surgery alone for esophagus squamous cell carcinoma patients: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of postoperative radiotherapy for patients having esophagus squamous cell carcinoma after radical surgery.

METHODS

A comprehensive research was performed in Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane Library electronic databases from inception until December 10, 2017. We collected all published full articles about comparison of surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy with surgery alone.

RESULTS

Four randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) with 1050 participants and 8 non-randomized-controlled trials with 3248 participants were included and evaluated separately. The risk ratio rate and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Both RCTs and non-randomized-controlled trials (NRCTs) groups showed a significant increase in 3-year overall survival (OS) rate (RRRCT = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.80-0.99; RRNRCT = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.76-0.88) and decrease locoregional recurrence rate (RRRCT = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.43-0.66; RRNRCT = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.32-0.69) after postoperative radiotherapy compared with surgery alone. The 5-year OS rate in the group of NRCTs was markedly enhanced (RR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.82-0.92), while that of the RCTs group was not enhanced in a significant way (RR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.70-1.02). Subgroup analysis based on pathological lymph node status revealed that postoperative radiotherapy could improve OS regardless of pathological lymph node status (pathological lymph node positive patients: RR5-year os-RCT = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.70-0.93; RR5-year os-NRCT = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.80-0.94; Pathological lymph node negative patients: RR3-year os-RCT = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.59-0.96; RR3-year os-NRCT = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.30-0.89). No effect on distant recurrence rate was detected. Adverse effects induced by postoperative radiotherapy were comparatively modest and tolerable.

CONCLUSION

Polled results yielded that postoperative radiotherapy was promising in improving OS and reducing the locoregional recurrence rate. More large-scale up-to-date RCTs are needed to further validate the use of postoperative radiotherapy in modern practice.

Excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1) overexpression inhibits cell apoptosis and is associated with unfavorable prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1) functions as a nucleotide excision repair (NER) enzyme. Altered ERCC1 expression or function is closely associated with cancer development and progression. This study determined the association of ERCC1 expression with survivin expression, clinicopathological characteristics, and survival of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients after postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy.Tissue specimens from 102 resected ESCC patients were acquired for immunohistochemical analysis of ERCC1 and survivin protein expression.ERCC1 expression was detected in 62.7% of ESCC tissues and in 9.8% of normal squamous epithelium tissues (P < .01), while survivin expression was detected in 60.8% of ESCC tissues and in 19.6% of normal squamous epithelia (P < .01). ERCC1 overexpression associated with advanced tumor clinical stage and lymph node metastasis (P < .05), but not with tumor size, depth of invasion, or differentiation (P > .05). ERCC1 overexpression was also associated with survivin levels (r = 0.42, P < .01) and worse progression-free survival of ESCC patients after concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Multivariate analysis data revealed that ERCC1 and survivin protein expression were independent predictors of overall survival of ESCC patients after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy (P < .05).ERCC1 overexpression is an important phenotype that is associated with ESCC lymph node metastasis and advanced tumor clinical stages. ERCC1 expression may also inhibit ESCC cell apoptosis via regulating survivin expression, and ERCC1 and survivin overexpression are independent predictors of prognosis for ESCC patients who receive chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

The role of postoperative radiotherapy for radically resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a systemic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The role of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) for radical resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains controversial. This meta-analysis aims to determine whether PORT achieves survival benefit compared with surgery alone (S alone) for radically resected ESCC.

METHODS

The PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant articles. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), reported as hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Six randomized trials and 13 retrospective studies that included a total of 8,198 patients were eligible. PORT provided significant OS benefit compared with S alone in retrospective studies (HR =0.75, 95% CI: 0.65-0.85), but not in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (HR =0.94, 95% CI: 0.81-1.09). PORT was associated with significantly improved DFS and obvious reduction in the risk of locoregional recurrence compared to S alone in either retrospective studies or RCTs. In the subgroup analysis for retrospective studies, PORT gained superior OS in patients with lymph node-positive (pN+), patients with lymph node-negative (pN0) or pT2-3N0, PORT with three-dimensional radiotherapy (3D-RT), PORT with chemotherapy, and patients with R0 resection, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study shows that PORT can improve DFS and decrease risk of locoregional recurrence in patients with radically resected ESCC, and PORT using 3D-RT or in combination with chemotherapy is likely to be more useful. Further well-designed, prospective studies are needed to confirm the effect of PORT on OS.

Neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemoradiation for stage II-III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a single institution experience

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer worldwide. It is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in China and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most prevalent histologic type. Many clinical trials have explored the value of neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemoradiation therapy in potentially resectable ESCC; however, these studies have produced conflicting results. This retrospective study was performed to investigate whether patients with resectable stage II/III ESCC should receive neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy in addition to surgery. A review of stage II/III thoracic ESCC patients who underwent esophagectomy and either neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemoradiation was performed. Chemotherapy regimen consisted of cisplatin 75 mg/m2 divided into 3 days and fluorouracil 500 mg/m2 on days 1 to 5. The patients who underwent neoadjuvant therapy were treated with one cycle of chemotherapy concurrently with radiotherapy (40 Gy in 20 fractions, 5 days/week), and those receiving adjuvant therapy were treated with two cycles of chemotherapy concurrently with radiotherapy (46-50 Gy in 23-25 fractions, 5 days/week). A total of 122 patients met inclusion criteria, of which 49 underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation and 73 underwent adjuvant chemoradiation. Median follow up was 36.5 months. The median survival times and 3, 5-year overall survival (OS) rates for the neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups were 39.3 versus 31.5 months, and 53.0%, 45.7% versus 42.9%, 29.7%, respectively (P = 0.091). For the patients with stage III ESCC, the median survival times and 5-year OS rates for the neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups were 39.3 versus 21.3 months, and 43.4% versus 21.0%, respectively (P = 0.021). Among lymph node-positive patients, the median survival times and 5-year OS rates for the neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups were 55.6 versus 23.7 months, and 43.0% versus 25.7%, respectively (P = 0.085). The incidence of perioperative and postoperative complications was comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05). For patients with resectable stage II/III ESCC, neoadjuvant chemoradiation does not increase postoperative complications and is associated with a trend toward better OS when compared to adjuvant chemoradiation.

The Impact of Postoperative Conformal Radiotherapy after Radical Surgery on Survival and Recurrence in Pathologic T3N0M0 Esophageal Carcinoma: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

INTRODUCTION

The role of conformal radiotherapy (cRT) in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC) has not been addressed in adjuvant settings. The aim of this study was to investigate whether postoperative radiotherapy using cRT after an R0 resection improves outcomes in pT3N0M0 TESCC compared with resection alone.

METHODS

This study included 678 patients with pT3N0M0 TESCC who were treated at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, from January 2004 to December 2011. The patients were divided into two groups: a surgery plus cRT group (S+cRT group) comprising patients who underwent cRT after an R0 resection and a surgery group (S group), comprising a control group of patients who underwent an R0 resection alone. Propensity score matching was used to create patient groups that were balanced across several covariates (n = 83 in each group). Outcome measures included overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and recurrence.

RESULTS

In the overall study cohort, 5-year OS (75.2% versus 58.5%, p = 0.004) and DFS (71.8% versus 49.2%, p = 0.001) rates were significantly higher in the S+cRT group than in the S group. These data were confirmed in the matched samples (5-year OS, 75.7% versus 58.8% [p = 0.017]; DFS, 71.7% versus 50.3% [p = 0.009]). The overall (p = 0.001) and locoregional (p = 0.004) recurrence rates in the S+cRT group were significantly lower than in the S group. Multivariate Cox analyses in the matched samples revealed that surgery and postoperative cRT were independently associated with longer OS (hazard ratio = 0.505, 95% confidence interval: 0.291-0.876, p = 0.015) and longer DFS (hazard ratio = 0.513, 95% confidence interval: 0.309-0.854, p = 0.010) than resection alone.

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative radiotherapy using cRT is strongly associated with improved OS and DFS in patients with pT3N0M0 TESCC. A multicenter, randomized phase III clinical trial is warranted to confirm these findings.

Mapping patterns of nodal metastases in esophageal carcinoma: rethinking the clinical target volume for supraclavicular nodal irradiation

BACKGROUND

To map detail distribution of metastatic supraclavicular (SCV) lymph nodes (LN) in esophageal cancer (EC) patients and determine the precise radiation therapy clinical target volume (CTV).

METHODS

A total of 101 thoracic esophageal carcinoma patients after surgery experienced SCV LN metastasis were retrospectively examined. The SCV region is further divided into four subgroups. Using hand drawings registration, nodes were mapped to a template computed tomogram to provide a visual impression of nodal frequencies and anatomic distribution.

RESULTS

In all, 158 nodes were considered to be clinical metastatic in the SCV region in the 101 patients, 74 on the left and 84 on the right. Seven of 158 (4.4%) positive LN were located in group I, 78 of 158 (49.37%) were located in group II, 72 of 158 nodes (45.6%) were located in group III, 1 of 158 (0.63%) located in group IV.

CONCLUSIONS

According to our results, the SCV group II and group III are considered to be the high risk regions of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) LN metastasis, which were defined as elective nodal irradiation (ENI) areas.

Comparison and Prognostic Analysis of Adjuvant Radiotherapy versus Salvage Radiotherapy for Treatment of Radically Resected Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective. To compare adjuvant radiotherapy and salvage radiotherapy after radical resection for treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods. Data from 155 patients with locally advanced ESCC who underwent radical resection and received postoperative radiotherapy from 2005 to 2011 were reviewed. Seventy-nine patients received adjuvant radiotherapy and 76 received salvage radiotherapy after locoregional recurrence. Results. The median disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly higher in the adjuvant radiotherapy group than the salvage radiotherapy group (DFS 25.73 months versus 10.73 months, P < 0.001; OS 33.33 months versus 26.22 months, P = 0.006). The independent prognostic factors for DFS were performance status (PS) before radiotherapy and pathological stage in the adjuvant radiotherapy group, compared with lymph node metastasis, tumor location, and adjuvant chemotherapy in the salvage radiotherapy group. The independent prognostic factors for OS were age and PS in both groups. No differences in median DFS and OS between the groups were observed in patients aged > 65 years or with PS ≥ 2. Conclusion. Compared to salvage radiotherapy, postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy can prolong DFS and OS for patients with radically resected local advanced ESCC but cannot improve survival for patients aged > 65 years or with PS ≥ 2.

Anatomic distribution of supraclavicular lymph node in patients with esophageal cancer

PURPOSE

Definitive chemoradiation therapy remains the standard of care for patients with localized esophageal carcinoma who choose nonsurgical management. However, there is no consensus regarding delineation of the nodal clinical target volume (CTVn), especially for lower cervical lymph nodes. This study aimed to map the location of metastatic supraclavicular lymph nodes in thoracic esophageal carcinoma patients with supraclavicular node involvement and generate an atlas to delineate the CTVn for elective nodal radiation of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this study, the supraclavicular regional lymph node was further divided into four subgroups. The locations of the involved supraclavicular nodes for all patients were then transferred onto a template computed tomography (CT) image. A volume probability map was then generated with nodal volumes, and was displayed on the template CT to provide a visual impression of nodal frequencies and anatomic distribution.

RESULTS

We identified 154 supraclavicular nodal metastases based on CT image in 96 patients. Of these, 29.2% were located in group I region, 59.7% in group II region, 10.4% in group III region, and 0.7% in group IV region.

CONCLUSION

On the basis of our study, we suggest that the appropriate radiation field of CTVn should include the group I and II regions and the CTVn exterior margin along the lateral side of the internal jugular vein may be suitable.

Recurrence pattern of squamous cell carcinoma in the midthoracic esophagus: implications for the clinical target volume design of postoperative radiotherapy

Background

Postoperative radiotherapy has shown positive efficacy in lowering the recurrence rate and improving the survival rate for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, controversies still exist about the postoperative prophylactic radiation target volume. This study was designed to analyze the patterns of recurrence and to provide a reference for determination of the postoperative radiotherapy target volume for patients with midthoracic ESCC.

Patients and methods

A total of 338 patients with recurrent or metastatic midthoracic ESCC after radical surgery were retrospectively examined. The patterns of recurrence including locoregional and distant metastasis were analyzed for these patients.

Results

The rates of lymph node (LN) metastasis were 28.4% supraclavicular, 77.2% upper mediastinal, 32.0% middle mediastinal, 50.0% lower mediastinal, and 19.5% abdominal LNs. In subgroup analyses, the rate of abdominal LN metastasis was significantly higher in patients with histological node-positive than that in patients with histological node-negative (P=0.033). Further analysis in patients with histological node-positive demonstrated that patients with three or more positive nodes are more prone to abdominal LN metastasis, compared with patients with one or two positive nodes (χ²=4.367, P=0.037). The length of tumor and histological differentiation were also the high-risk factors for abdominal LN metastasis.

Conclusion

For midthoracic ESCC with histological node-negative, or one or two positive nodes, the supraclavicular and stations 2, 4, 5, and 7 LNs should be delineated as clinical target volume of postoperative prophylactic irradiation, and upper abdominal LNs should be excluded. While for midthoracic ESCC with three or more positive nodes, upper abdominal LNs should also be included. The length of tumor and histological differentiation should be considered comprehensively to design the clinical target volume for radiotherapy.

Spindle cell carcinoma of the esophagus: A multicenter analysis in comparison with typical squamous cell carcinoma

This study conducted a retrospective multicenter analysis to investigate the clinicopathological features, optimal therapeutic strategy, and prognosis of spindle cell carcinoma (SpCC) of the esophagus.A total of 71 patients with esophageal SpCC from 3 large cancer centers in China were systematically analyzed. All patients received curative resection, 13 patients received adjuvant radiotherapy and 15 patients received adjuvant combination chemotherapy. Additionally, a total of 1852 patients with typical esophageal SCC (SCC) were selected as controls in this study.SpCC mostly presented as a polypoid appearance (66.2%), and the surrounding mucosa showed high-grade hyperplasia or superficial SCC in 31 cases (43.7%). Two patients even had extensive carcinoma in situ that spread to the resection margins. Patients in the SpCC group were more likely to present with stage I lesions compared with those in the typical SCC group (33.8% vs 8.0%, P < 0.001). Although the percentage of T1/2 lesions was higher in the SpCC group than in the typical SCC group (67.6% vs 29.7%, P < 0.001), both groups had similar rates of locoregional lymphatic metastases (45.1% vs 48.4%, P = 0.578). The median survival time and 5-year overall survival of the SpCC group was 43 months and 44.8%, respectively, higher than 37.5 months and 38.3%, respectively, for the typical SCC group (P = 0.044). In univariate analysis, the macroscopical type and pathological T, N, and TNM stages had a statistically significant impact on the prognosis of SpCC after curative resection. However, only the TNM stage (hazard ratio, 2.708; 95% confidence interval, 1.786-4.105, P < 0.001) was identified as an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis. The 5-year OS of SpCC in stages I (79.8%) and II (39.7%) were significantly longer than that of stages III/IV (16.2%) (P < 0.001 and P = 0.012). As those SpCC cases that received chemoradiotherapy were in more advanced stages, their prognosis was still worse than SpCC patients who did not receive chemoradiotherapy even after such treatment (P = 0.042, 0.010, respectively).SpCC shows a highly aggressive tendency of lymphatic spread, although it does not tend to infiltrate deeply into the esophageal wall. Compared with typical SCC that also underwent esophagectomy with extended lymphadenectomy, SpCC may achieve a better survival rate. Further investigation is warranted to examine the effect of postoperative chemoradiotherapy on the prognosis of SpCC.

Postoperative radiation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and target volume delineation

Esophageal cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and patients who are treated with surgery alone, without neoadjuvant therapies, experience frequent relapses. Whether postoperative therapies could reduce the recurrence or improve overall survival is still controversial for these patients. The purpose of our review is to figure out the value of postoperative adjuvant therapy and address the disputes about target volume delineation according to published data. Based on the evidence of increased morbidity and disadvantages on patient survival caused by postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy (RT) alone provided by studies in the early 1990s, the use of postoperative adjuvant therapies in cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma has diminished substantially and has been replaced gradually by neoadjuvant chemoradiation. With advances in surgery and RT, accumulating evidence has recently rekindled interest in the delivery of postoperative RT or chemoradiotherapy in patients with stage T3/T4 or N1 (lymph node positive) carcinomas after radical surgery. However, due to complications with the standard radiation field, a nonconforming modified field has been adopted in most studies. Therefore, we analyze different field applications and provide suggestions on the optimization of the radiation field based on the major sites of relapse and the surgical non-clearance area. For upper and middle thoracic esophageal carcinomas, the bilateral supraclavicular and superior mediastinal areas remain common sites of recurrence and should be encompassed within the clinical target volume. In contrast, a consensus has yet to be reached regarding lower thoracic esophageal carcinomas; the “standard” clinical target volume is still recommended. Further studies of larger sample sizes should focus on different recurrence patterns, categorized by tumor locations, refined classifications, and differing molecular biology, to provide more information on the delineation of target volumes.

Optimal Adjuvant Treatment for Curatively Resected Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Radiotherapy Perspective

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits of adjuvant treatment for curatively resected thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and determine the optimal adjuvant treatments.

Materials and Methods

One hundred ninety-five patients who underwent a curative resection for thoracic ESCC between 1994 and 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. Postoperatively, the patients received no adjuvant treatment (no-adjuvant group, n=68), adjuvant chemotherapy (AC group, n=62), radiotherapy (RT group, n=41), or chemoradiotherapy (CRT group, n=24). Chemotherapy comprised cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil administration every 3 weeks. The median RT dose was 45.0 Gy (range, 34.8 to 59.4 Gy). The overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), locoregional recurrence (LRR), and distant metastasis (DM) rates were estimated.

Results

At a median follow-up duration of 42.2 months (range, 6.3 to 215.2 months), the 5-year OS and DFS were 37.6% and 31.4%, respectively. After adjusting for other clinicopathologic variables, the AC and CRT groups had a significantly better OS and DFS compared to the no-adjuvant group (p < 0.05). The LRR rate was significantly lower in the RT and CRT groups than in the no-adjuvant group (p < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in the AC group. In the no-adjuvant and AC groups, 25% of patients received high-dose salvage RT due to LRR. The DM rates were similar. The anastomotic stenosis and leakage were similar in the treatment groups.

Conclusion

Adjuvant treatment might prolong survival after an ESCC resection, and RT contributes to a reduction of the LRR. Overall, the risks and benefits should be weighed properly when selecting the optimal adjuvant treatment.

Influence of negative lymph node in No 7 on survival of patients with middle thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

The overall survival (OS) of patients with thoracic esophageal cancer is poor because of the high rate of lymph node metastases. However, recent studies found that the negative lymph node (LN) may also influence the patients’ OS. The purpose of this study is to investigate which negative LN stations play a key role in OS prediction.

Method

Our study included the retrospective records of 99 patients, who were identified with middle thoracic esophageal squamous cell cancer after esophagectomy. The maximum follow-up time was 6 years. Cox regression models were employed to determine the association between the negative LN and OS of patients. After applying Kaplan–Meier method to calculate OS of patients with positive and negative LNs, the log-rank tests were used to assess the difference between them.

Result

The hazard ratio of the total number of negative LNs was 0.937 (P=0.001), and the length of tumor was 1.166 (P=0.038). Multivariate regression results showed that the numbers of positive LNs in No 3 and 7 stations and negative LNs in No 109 and 7 stations were significantly related to OS, and their P-values were 0.017, 0.001, 0.020, and 0.022, respectively. The OS of the patients who had positive and negative LNs in No 7 station was significantly different (P=0.028).

Conclusion

No 7 is the most important among the negative LN stations which prolong OS. More attention should be paid to this area when making treatment plan for patients with no negative LNs identified in operation.

Patterns of Regional Lymph Node Recurrence After Radical Surgery for Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the patterns of regional lymph node recurrence after radical surgery for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed clinical characteristics of ESCC patients admitted to two institutions from 1990 to 2011, and analyzed the patterns of regional lymph node recurrence.

RESULTS

The records of 315 eligible patients with ESCC were reviewed. Of the 378 regional lymph node recurrence sites, 177 (46.8%) were in the supraclavicular areas, 120 (31.7%) in the mediastinum, and 81 (21.4%) in the upper abdominal areas. The most common sites of recurrence were the supraclavicular and mediastinum areas in patients with upper and middle thoracic ESCC. Approximately equal percentages of patients with lower thoracic tumors had supraclavicular, mediastinal, and upper abdominal (celiac) lymph node recurrence. Patients with tumor located in the lower thoracic esophagus had a lower probability of supraclavicular lymph node recurrence (p = 0.013). None of the assessed factors was associated with mediastinal lymph node recurrence. Celiac lymph node recurrence was more frequent among patients with lower thoracic ESCC (p = 0.004) and advanced pathologic nodal (pN) stage (pN2, p = 0.034; pN3, p = 0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

After radical surgery for thoracic ESCC, the patterns of regional lymph node recurrence are related to the tumor location and pN stage.

Prognostic Nomogram for Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma after Radical Esophagectomy

Nomogram has demonstrated its capability in individualized estimates of survival in diverse cancers. Here we retrospectively investigated 1195 patients with esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) who underwent radical esophagectomy at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital in Hangzhou, China. We randomly assigned two-thirds of the patients to a training cohort (n = 797) and one-third to a validation cohort (n = 398). Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed using the training cohort, and a nomogram was developed for predicting 3-year and 5-year overall survival rates. Multivariate analysis identified tumor length, surgical approach, number of examined lymph node, number of positive lymph node, extent of positive lymph node, grade, and depth of invasion as independent risk factors for survival. The discriminative ability of the nomogram was externally determined using the validation cohort, showing that the nomogram exhibited a sufficient level of discrimination according to the C-index (0.715, 95% CI 0.671–0.759). The C-index of the nomogram was significantly higher than that of the sixth edition (0.664, P-value<0.0001) and the seventh edition (0.696, P-value<0.0003) of the TNM classification. This study developed the first nomogram for ESCC, which can be applied in daily clinical practice for individualized survival prediction.

Postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy improved survival in lymph node-positive or stage III thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the effect of postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) on recurrence and survival in lymph node-positive or stage III thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC) patients, and evaluate its role in TESCC therapy.

METHODS

We enrolled 538 patients who underwent radical resection with (S + R) or without (S) postoperative IMRT. The median total postoperative IMRT dose was 60 Gy. The Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and chi-square test were used for survival rate calculation, univariate analysis, and sites of failure analysis, respectively.

RESULTS

The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival rates were 32.7 and 27.3%, respectively. The 5-year OS rates of lymph node-positive S and S + R patients were 28.4 and 38.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). The 5-year OS rates of stage III S and S + R patients were 24.0 and 38.0%, respectively (p = 0.001). Postoperative IMRT resulted in significantly decreased intrathoracic and supraclavicular recurrence, and obviously delayed median local recurrence and systemic metastases. Systemic metastases increased following postoperative IMRT.

CONCLUSION

Postoperative IMRT reduces local recurrence and improves survival in lymph node-positive or stage III TESCC patients, providing a rationale for selection criteria for postoperative IMRT in TESCC.

Postoperative adjuvant therapy for resectable thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective analysis of 426 cases

The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of postoperative adjuvant therapy for resectable thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in China. We retrospectively analyzed 426 eligible patients seen between October 2007 and November 2011. Specifically, we assessed clinicopathological characteristics and the disease-free and overall survival rates. Of the 426 patients, 272 cases underwent surgery alone, and 154 cases received postoperative adjuvant therapy (67 cases with radiotherapy, 57 cases with chemotherapy, and 30 cases with simultaneous chemoradiotherapy). The median follow-up time was 48.0 months (23.0-72.0 months), and the median survival time was 48.4 months (1.0-72.0 months). We found a significant difference between the surgery-alone and adjuvant therapy groups in the status of lymph node (LN) metastasis (N stage; P < 0.01), but there were no differences between the two groups with regard to other clinicopathological characteristics, including age, sex, lesion location, T stage, differentiation grades, surgery approach, or average number of LN dissections. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates of the surgery-alone and adjuvant therapy groups were 48.9 and 37.1 %, respectively (P < 0.001); no significant difference was found in 5-year overall survival (OS) rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). A stratification analysis based on N stage suggested that the 5-year DFS and OS rates were similar in N0-N3 subgroups (P > 0.05), except that patients with surgery alone had a higher 5-year DFS than those with postoperative adjuvant therapy in N0 subgroup (P = 0.013). Our data suggest that patients with resectable thoracic ESCC may not benefit from postoperative adjuvant therapy. Further prospective studies are required to elucidate the utility of postoperative adjuvant therapy and to standardize individualized treatments for resectable ESCC.

Esophageal cancer management controversies: Radiation oncology point of view

Esophageal cancer treatment has evolved from single modality to trimodality therapy. There are some controversies of the role, target volumes and dose of radiotherapy (RT) in the literature over decades. The present review focuses primarily on RT as part of the treatment modalities, and highlight on the RT volume and its dose in the management of esophageal cancer. The randomized adjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) trial, intergroup trial (INT 0116) enrolled 559 patients with resected adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction. They were randomly assigned to surgery plus postoperative CRT or surgery alone. Analyses show robust treatment benefit of adjuvant CRT in most subsets for postoperative CRT. The Chemoradiotherapy for Oesophageal Cancer Followed by Surgery Study (CROSS) used a lower RT dose of 41.4 Gray in 23 fractions with newer chemotherapeutic agents carboplatin and paclitaxel to achieve an excellent result. Target volume of external beam radiation therapy and its coverage have been in debate for years among radiation oncologists. Pre-operative and post-operative target volumes are designed to optimize for disease control. Esophageal brachytherapy is effective in the palliation of dysphagia, but should not be given concomitantly with chemotherapy or external beam RT. The role of brachytherapy in multimodality management requires further investigation. On-going studies of multidisciplinary treatment in locally advanced cancer include: ZTOG1201 trial (a phase II trial of neoadjuvant and adjuvant CRT) and QUINTETT (a phase III trial of neoadjuvant vs adjuvant therapy with quality of life analysis). These trials hopefully will shed more light on the future management of esophageal cancer.

Patterns of failure after radical surgery among patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: implications for the clinical target volume design of postoperative radiotherapy

BACKGROUND

This study evaluated patterns of treatment failure (especially locoregional failure; LRF) after radical esophagectomy and proposes a clinical target volume (CTV) for postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) among patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

METHODS

All patients who were followed up in our center after radical esophagectomy between 2007 and 2011 were retrospectively enrolled. The patterns of first discovered failure were assessed, and LRFs (including anastomotic and regional lymph node recurrences) were evaluated to determine whether our proposed PORT CTV encompassed these areas. The clinicopathologic factors predictive of lymphatic recurrence type were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 414 patients who underwent surgery and were followed up over the study, 207 experienced recurrent or metastatic diseases. The median time to progression was 11.0 months. Of the 173 patients with locoregional recurrence, nodal failure recurred in 160; supraclavicular and superior mediastinal lymph nodes had the highest metastasis rates. All 233 recurrent sites across the 160 patients were located in a standard CTV area, including the bilateral supraclavicular areas, the entire mediastinum, and the left gastric lymphatic drainage region. A total of 203 sites (87.2%) were located in either the bilateral supraclavicular areas or the entire mediastinum, and 185 sites (79.4%) were located in either the bilateral supraclavicular areas or the upper mediastinum. A multivariate analysis revealed the lymph node metastatic ratio (LNMR) and tumor differentiation were risk factors for nodal failure.

CONCLUSIONS

Locoregional recurrence (especially lymph node recurrence) was the most common and potentially preventable type of initial treatment failure after curative surgery among patients with thoracic esophageal SCC. The proposed PORT CTV covered most LRF sites. The lymphatic drainage regions for PORT are selective, and the supraclavicular and superior mediastinal areas should be considered. However, the value of PORT and the extent of CTV should be investigated in further prospective studies.

Minimally invasive esophagectomy in the elderly

OBJECTIVE

A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database to evaluate our experience in elderly patients (>70 years) undergoing Thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy for cancer oesophagus. To ascertain whether age, is a limiting factor for patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy.

METHODS

All Patients above 70 years of age, referred to the Gastro-esophageal clinic were included in the study. Tumours were staged as per AJCC 6th ed. 2002. Patients diagnosed with T1/2/3, N0/1 lesion of the mid/lower oesophagus (Infra Azygous) and type I and II Gastro esophageal junction tumours were included in the study. Patients with ASA grade IV were excluded. All patients who underwent Thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy from January 2009 till January 2012 were evaluated for their perioperative outcomes.

RESULTS

Sixty eight patients underwent Minimal Invasive esophagectomy from January 2009 to January 2012. There were 45 males and 23 females. The average age in elderly group was 75.76 ± 5.96 years (range 70 to 91). Mean operative time was 178.84 ± 65.26 min, mean blood loss 143.84 ml(range 32-450 ml), mean ICU stay 3.84 days(range 2-11 days) and mean hospital stay was 12.76 days(range 8-21 days). Pneumonia and Cardiac related complications occurred in 10.30 % and 1.47 % patients respectively. None of the procedures required conversion to open thoracotomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy is feasible and surgically safe in elderly patients with low morbidity and mortality. Thus age of a patient should not be considered a limiting factor.

ULTRAMINI ABSTRACT

This is an original article about our experience of thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy for cancer esophagus in elderly patients. After analyzing the data we feel that age of the patient cannot be a truly limiting factor for patient diagnosed of esophageal cancer to undergo minimally invasive esophagectomy.