Radical radiation therapy of the thoracic esophageal carcinoma supplemented with or without salvage surgery
Chatani, M.; Teshima, T.; Inoue, T.; Sato, T.; Kabuto, T.; Iwanaga, T.
Strahlentherapie und Onkologie Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft . 163(9): 579-582
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0179-7158 PMID: 3660222 Document Number: 299310
From September 1977 to June 1985, 63 patients received radical radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus at the Center for Adult Diseases, Osaka. Fourty-six of them received radiation therapy alone (RT) and 17 received surgical treatment after irradiation (RT-OP) due to local recurrence or residual tumor. In these groups, 38 of 46 in RT only group and twelve of 17 in RT-OP group were selected for radiotherapy because of high risk for surgery or T3 lesion. For RT only group, tumor response after irradiation was the most important prognostic factor and a statistically significant difference of survival rates was detected between complete response (CR) group and non-CR group. Among RT-OP group, there were three five-year survivors in CR group (n = 8) after irradiation while no five-year survivor in non-CR group (n = 9). Tumor response after radical radiation therapy seems to show the indication for the salvage surgery in high risk or T3 patient.