Results of combined and chemoradiation treatment of patients with thoracic esophageal cancer according to the data of the regional cancer center

Background. esophageal cancer (ec) is one of the most aggressive malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract. chemoradiation therapy is the standard of care for locally advanced ec.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of chemoradiation therapy given alone and in combination with surgery in patients with thoracic esophageal cancer.

Material and Methods. From January 1, 2012 to december 31, 2021, a total of 940 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer were registered in the regional cancer registry, of which 178 patients were selected for concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) at clinical stages I–III. thirty seven thoracic esophageal cancer patients who received CRT and required treatment interruption due to complications were not included in our analysis. The final analysis included 141 patients.

Results. 37 (20.7 %) patients were unable to complete treatment due to intolerance and the development of severe complications of CRT. Hematological toxicity of grade 3-4 was noted in 21 patients (14.8 %). Non-hematological complications of grade 2-4 were noted in 109 patients (77.3 %). The 5-year relapse-free survival rates in patients undergoing and non-undergoing to surgery were 23.0 and 25.0 %, respectively (p=0.018). Overall 5-year survival rates were 24 and 27 %, respectively (p=0.020). The rate of pathological complete response (pcR) was 43.5 % (in 20 of 46 patients who underwent surgery after CRT). The median survival time in patients with clinical complete response (ccR) was 24.0 months and the median survival time in patients with pcR was 29.0 months. The 3-year survival rates were 21 and 45 %, respectively (p=0.050).

Conclusion. The combination of chemoradiotherapy and surgery in patients with thoracic esophageal cancer demonstrated an increase in overall survival in our study. if there is a complete clinical response to CRT and contraindications for surgery or the patient’s refusal to undergo surgery, it is advisable to use the “wait & watch” tactic.

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