Cisplatin/Irinotecan Versus Carboplatin/Paclitaxel as Definitive Chemoradiotherapy for Locoregionally Advanced Esophageal Cancer

OBJECTIVE: To compare toxicities, disease control, and survival outcomes for patients treated with either cisplatin/irinotecan versus carboplatin/paclitaxel concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer. METHODS: Single-institution retrospective comparison between treatment groups: the cisplatin/irinotecan group was treated with 2 cycles of induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy, whereas the carboplatin/paclitaxel group began with chemoradiotherapy followed by 2 additional cycles of chemotherapy. Acute toxicities, response rates, disease control, survival outcomes, and patterns of failure were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Between January 2000 and December 2007, 57 patients were identified for inclusion in the present study (38 cisplatin/irinotecan and 19 carboplatin/paclitaxel). Groups were well-balanced by clinical-, pathologic-, staging-, and treatment-related factors. Thirty-five patients (92%) in the cisplatin/irinotecan group and 18 patients (95%) in the carboplatin/paclitaxel group completed the concurrent phase of chemoradiotherapy. There were no significant differences in hematologic or nonhematologic toxicities between the groups. At a median survivor follow-up of 37.6 months (range: 7.3-59.3 months) for the entire population, 22 patients were alive (16 without evidence of disease). The 3-year overall survival estimates was 19.7% for the cisplatin/irinotecan group versus 56.1% for the carboplatin/paclitaxel group (P = 0.022). Estimated 3-year cancer-specific survivals were 24.6% for the cisplatin/irinotecan group versus 59.3% for the carboplatin/paclitaxel group (P = 0.033). CONCLUSION: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with carboplatin/paclitaxel is well-tolerated and provided superior overall and disease-specific survival compared with cisplatin/irinotecan chemoradiotherapy in the present study population. Further investigation is warranted.