A Phase II/III Study of Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy, Radiotherapy After Surgery Versus Surgery Alone in Patients With Stage ⅡB-Ⅲ Esophageal Carcinoma

Although preoperative chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery is the most common approach for patients with resectable esophageal cancer, considerable number of esophageal cancer patients received operation as the first treatment modality. Accordingly, postoperative treatments have always been playing an important role because of the poor survival rates of the patients in stage ⅡB[UICC 7th edition] -Ⅲ[UICC 7th edition] who have been treated with resection alone. The existing data shows that the 5-yeal survival rate of stageⅡB-Ⅲ of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(TESCC) after surgery is merely about 28.4% ,and locoregional lymph nodes metastases is responsible for the main cause of failure. While we have proved the value of prophylactic radiation therapy after radical esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma with positive lymph node metastases and stage Ⅲ disease (UICC 6th edition) under the conventional 2-dimensional radiotherapy methods in subset analysis of prospective randomized clinical trial. For patients with positive lymph nodes, 5 year survival after surgery alone was 28.4%, median overall survival was 24 months, recurrence patterns were 34.6% in mediastinal lymph nodes，13.3% in supraclavicular lymph nodes，10% in abdominal lymph nodes. Distant metastases occurred in 21% patients. Adjuvant radiotherapy significantly reduced the recurrence in mediastinal lymph nodes(13.4%), supraclavicular lymph nodes (6.1%). However distant metastases rate increased to 30.7%. Chemotherapy may be vital for these patients. Chen reported that 5 year overall survival rates for the chemoradiotherapy group and radiotherapy group were 47.4% and 38.6% (P=0.03). Based on our studies, treatment failure occurred in 8% patients because of celiac metastases. Small radiation field by omitting celiac drainage region may ensure patients to accept 2 cycles of concurrent chemotherapy for lower toxicity.