The Experience of Concurrent Chemoradiation for Japanese Patients With Superficial Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study

PURPOSE: To evaluate the treatment outcome of concurrent chemoradiation therapy (cCRT) for 13 clinically confirmed T1 esophageal cancer patients. METHODS: Between June 2000 and February 2004, patients with T1 esophageal cancer (tumor invading lamina propria or submucosa) received cCRT (50.4 Gy; CDDP: 75 mg/m2, day 1, bolus; 5-FU: 1000 mg/m2, days 1 to 4, continuous) (n = 13, T1 group). This treatment regimen was compared with the following 2 other groups treated during the same period: one was treated with radiation therapy alone for T1 disease (n = 5, RT-alone group); and the other group of patients consisted of those with T2 disease (tumor invading muscularis propria) who received the same cCRT regimen as the first T1 group (n = 9, T2 group). RESULTS: The overall survival rates at 1 and 3 years were in the T1 group, 75% and 75%; in the T2 group, 75% and 45% (P =0.2890); and in the RT-alone group, 60% and 40% (P = 0.2978). No treatment-related mortalities occurred in the T1 and RT-alone groups, but one patient in the T2 group died of radiation-induced pneumonitis. CONCLUSIONS: Although this study was not randomized, the results showed that cCRT is a safe and effective method for treating patients with superficial esophageal cancer.