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Esophagus is the most commonly involved site of extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma. However, no standard treatment has been established for primary esophageal small cell carcinoma. This study was to summarize the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of primary esophageal small cell carcinoma, and explore the impact of chemotherapy on the survival.The records of 33 patients with primary esophageal small cell carcinoma, treated in Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University from Jan. 1985 to Dec. 2005, were reviewed to summarize the clinical characteristics and impact of therapy modality on the survival. Prognostic factors were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and log-rank method.The median survival time of the 33 patients was 11.3 months; the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 45.1%, 16.6%, and 3.5%, respectively. Clinical stage was the most important prognostic factor. The median survival time of the patients received local treatment (surgical operation or radiotherapy) was 6.3 months; the 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rates were 31.1%, 23.5%, and 8.2%, respectively. The median survival time of the patients received local treatment plus chemotherapy was 15.4 months; the 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rates were 69.3%, 34.6%, and 28.7%, respectively.Surgical operation plus chemotherapy can improve the survival of the patients with early stage primary esophageal small cell carcinoma.

No more survival improvement could be obtained in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) today with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Clinical trails showed the antitumor effect of gefitinib on NSCLC with individual differences. This study was to select NSCLC patients of suitable type by comparing the efficacy of gefitinib on advanced NSCLC of bilateral diffuse type and unilateral giant mass type.Fifty advanced NSCLC patients of bilateral diffuse type (20 cases) and unilateral mass type (30 cases) received treatment of gefitinib. The efficacy of gefitinib on advanced NSCLC between the 2 groups was compared.The median time to symptom improvement was significantly shorter in bilateral diffuse group than in unilateral mass group (4 days vs. 7 days, P0.01). The disease control rate was significantly higher in bilateral diffuse group than in unilateral mass group (75% vs. 20%, P0.01). The median progression-free time was significantly longer in bilateral diffuse group than in unilateral mass group (9.5 months vs. 3.6 months, P0.01). Drug-related adverse events were similar in the 2 groups.Gefitinib is more effective to bilateral diffuse type NSCLC than to unilateral giant mass type NSCLC. It can be considered as the second-line medicine for bilateral diffuse type NSCLC.

Navoban (import tropisetron hydrochloride) can effectively prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; however, it is too expensive to be used extensively in clinic. This study was designed to compare the antiemetic efficacies and side effects of China-made tropisetron hydrochloride with Navoban.A multicenter and randomized controlled trial was carried out. A total of 132 cancer patients were randomized into 2 groups and received 5 mg of China-made tropisetron hydrochloride (group A, 66 patients) or Navoban (group B, 66 patients) intravenously before cisplatin- or adriamycin-based chemotherapy. The gastrointestinal reactions induced by chemotherapy and side effects of the antiemetics were recorded within 7 days after chemotherapy.Acute nausea was prevented completely in 48.5% of the patients in group A and in 43.8% of group B; acute vomiting was prevented completely in 69.7% of the patients in group A and in 67.2% of group B. Delayed nausea was prevented completely in 25.8% of the patients in group A and in 28.1% of group B; delayed vomiting was prevented completely in 47.0% of the patients in group A and in 51.6% of group B. No significant differences in complete control of nausea and vomiting showed between group A and group B (P0.05). Both antiemetic regimens were well tolerated, and no difference in adverse events between the 2 groups was observed (P0.05).China-made tropisetron hydrochloride is as effective as Navoban in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and only causes mild, infrequent side effects.