Salvage Chemoradiation Therapy for Recurrence After Radical Surgery or Palliative Surgery in Esophageal Cancer Patients

Currently, adjuvant therapy is not recommended for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received surgery as their first treatment. However, the recurrence rate is as high as 23.8%-58%, and the median time-to-recurrence is about 10.5 months. In patients who had residual tumor after surgery, evidence lacks for chemoradiation.

Retrospective data of 218 cases in our hospital indicated patients underwent salvage chemoradiation had significantly improved survival compared with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or best supportive care. For patients with locoregional recurrence, the 1-, 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were statistically higher in patients received salvage chemoradiation than radiotherapy (1-year OS, 70.0% vs. 55.2%, 3-year OS, 41.9% vs. 23.5%, p=0.045). Patients received chemotherapy had 1-year OS of 0%.

Data of 218 cases of our hospital indicated patients received radiation dose > 54Gy had a significantly longer median overall survival time of 21.2 months compared with 11.3 months in patients had <54Gy. The optimal radiation dose should be further investigated.

The recurrence pattern of patients with esophageal cancer after esophagectomy mainly consist of supraclavicular and mediastinal lymph nodes. For patients recurred after radical surgery, prophylactic irradiation to high-risk lymph node regions should be considered. The study use simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in this trial, which made different radiation dose to recurrent tumor and high-risk lymph node regions possible.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of chemoradiation therapy in patients with recurrences after radical surgery or palliative surgery. Patients were further assigned to receive elective field irradiation (ENI) or involved field irradiation (IFI) according to tumor size, tumor location and time-to-recurrence.

Inclusion criteria

• Locoregional recurrence after radical surgery;
• Positive resection margin (R1/R2) after surgery;
• Out-of-field recurrence after adjuvant chemoradiation or radiotherapy;
• Recurrence after adjuvant chemotherapy;
• No prior therapy after recurrence;
• Age 16-70 years;
• KPS>70;
• No history of drug allergy;
• Sufficient liver and kidney functions;
• White blood cell count > 4.0*10^9/L.

Exclusion criteria

• Age>70 or <16 years;
• Pregnancy or lactation;
• History of drug allergy;
• Declining informed consent;
• Insufficient liver or kidney functions, or abnormal CBC test;
• Severe cardiovascular diseases, infections, active ulcerations, diabetes mellitus with unstable blood sugar, mental disorders.