Search

Introduction Local recurrence (LR) is clinical challenge in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The current study aimed to determine the optimal re-irradiation dose for local recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LRESCC) following radical (chemo) radiotherapy. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 125 patients with LRESCC after receiving initial radiotherapy. For radiotherapy treatment, 58 patients were assigned to low-dose (LD) group (50–54 Gy) and 67 were assigned to the high-dose (HD) group (55–60 Gy). The response rate (complete + partial response), 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rate, and toxicity were recorded. We then analyzed the impact of different radiotherapy doses and combination chemotherapy on the survival of patients with LRESCC. Results After re-irradiation, the 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates in the LD and HD groups were 48.3%, 24.1% and 10.3% and 61.2%, 34.3% and 19.4% in the HD group, respectively, and the difference in overall survival rate between the two groups were significant (P P Conclusion Higher re-irradiation dose (55–60 Gy) can improve the long-term survival of patients with LRESCC after radiotherapy, with tolerable toxicity.

BackgroundSarcopenia has been associated with treatment-related toxicities and poor survival in cancer patients. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia in postoperative recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients receiving chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and evaluate associations with treatment-related toxicity and prognosis.MethodsOne hundred and eighty-four patients with postoperative locoregional recurrent ESCC receiving CRT between January 2014 and December 2016 were included. The skeletal muscle area (SMA) was measured at the third lumbar vertebra level. Sarcopenia was defined as skeletal muscle index (SMI = SMA/height2) less than 47.24/cm2/m2 for men and 36.92/cm2/m2 for women. Association of sarcopenia with overall survival (OS) was analyzed using univariate and multivariate cox regression models.ResultsSarcopenia was observed in 94 of 184 (51.1%) patients. Sarcopenic patients had significantly higher rates of grade 3-4 toxicities compared to those without sarcopenia (36.2% vs 21.1%, p = 0.034). The survival rate at 12 and 24 months was 36.2% and 3.2% in the sarcopenic patients and 57.8% and 17.8% in the non-sarcopenic patients (p < 0.001). Multivariate cox regression analysis showed that sarcopenia was significantly associated with decreased OS (HR = 1.729, 95% CI 1.231-2.428, p = 0.002).ConclusionsSarcopenia is an independent indicator of poor survival in postoperative locoregional recurrent ESCC patients treated with CRT. Early nutritional interventions before treatment may improve the prognosis.

Background The effectiveness of treatments for recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), particularly chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy (CRT), remains unclear in patients who have previously been administered the same drugs during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Methods In this retrospective study, 117 patients with recurrent thoracic ESCCs who had undergone curative resection were included. Patients were divided into two groups based on presurgical treatment: no presurgical treatment (n = 74), and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n = 43). Prognosis after recurrence was analyzed differently in the group of patients who received CRT and chemotherapy for a recurrent site because of differences in recurrence patterns. Results There were no differences in patterns and times to recurrence between the patients who underwent each presurgical treatment. For treatment of recurrence, CRT was administered to 66 patients, chemotherapy to 32, surgical resection to 5, and best supportive care to 14. In patients who underwent CRT for local recurrence, the survival rates of those administered neoadjuvant chemotherapy were similar to those who did not receive any presurgical treatment (P = 0.706). In patients who underwent chemotherapy for distant metastasis, the survival rates of those administered neoadjuvant chemotherapy were worse than in those who did not receive any presurgical treatment (P = 0.028). Conclusions The effects of CRT for recurrent cancers are not influenced by neoadjuvant chemotherapy, even when using the same anticancer agent. Chemotherapy is an acceptable treatment for patients who do not receive presurgical treatment.

Background In Japan, standard treatment for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) includes preoperative chemotherapy with fluorouracil plus cisplatin followed by esophagectomy. However, its efficacy is unclear in patients with recurrent disease with Method We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of fluorouracil plus platinum in patients with recurrent ESCC who received preoperative chemotherapy followed by curative esophagectomy. Results Among 105 patients with recurrent ESCC after preoperative chemotherapy followed by esophagectomy, a total of 55 patients received fluorouracil plus platinum for recurrent disease. Patients with a CFI n = 20) had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) (median, 7.1 vs 14.5 months, P = 0.008) compared with those with a CFI ≥ 6 months (n = 35). Multivariate analysis showed that OS was worse in patients with a CFI P = 0.001). Conclusion Fluorouracil plus platinum was ineffective for recurrent ESCC in patients with a CFI

Background Several studies have reported the efficacy of resection for recurrent lesions. However, they involved a limited number of subjects. This study aimed to identify a subset of patients who benefit from surgical resection of recurrent lesions after curative esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods Clinicopathological features of 186 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent surgical treatment for postoperative recurrent lesions at 37 accredited institutions of the Japanese Esophageal Society were evaluated. Results The most common recurrence site was the lymph node (106 cases; 58.6%), followed by the lung (40 cases; 22.1%). Univariate analyses revealed that pN 0–1 at esophagectomy (P = 0.0348), recurrence-free interval of ≥ 550 days (P = 0.0306), R0 resection (P P = 0.0472) were associated with better overall survival after surgical resection. According to multivariate analyses, pN 0–1 (P = 0.0146), lung metastasis (P = 0.0274), recurrence-free interval after curative esophagectomy of ≥ 550 days (P = 0.0266), R0 resection (P = 0.0009), and absence of severe complications after resection for recurrent lesions (Clavien–Dindo grade P = 0.0420) were independent predictive factors for better overall survival. Conclusions Surgical resection of recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma lesions is a useful option, especially for cases involving lower pN stage, lung metastasis, long recurrence-free intervals after esophagectomy, and technically resectable lesions. Surgical risks should be minimized as much as possible.

Background This study aimed to identify potential biomarkers associated with locoregional recurrence in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after radical resection. Methods We performed a quantitative proteomics analysis using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) with reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS) to identify differential expression proteins (DEPs) between a locoregional recurrence group and good prognosis group of ESCC after radical esophagectomy. The bioinformatics analysis was performed with ingenuity pathway analysis software (IPA) and Gene Ontology (GO) database using the software of MAS 3.0. Kaplan-Meier (KM) Plotter Online Tool (http://www.kmplot.com) was used to evaluate the relationship between the differential expression of proteins and survival in patients with ESCC. Results More than 400 proteins were quantitated of which 27 proteins had upregulated expression and 55 proteins had downregulated expression in the locoregional recurrence group compared to the good prognosis group. These 82 DEPs were associated with biological procession of cancer development including cellular movement, cellular assembly and organization, cellular function and maintenance, cellular growth and proliferation, cell death and survival, DNA replication recombination and repair, and so on. Of these DEPs, SPTAN1 and AGT proteins were identified to be associated with RFS in ESCC. SPTAN1 was positively associated with RFS and AGT was negatively associated with RFS. Expression of SPTAN1 tended to have favorable OS while expression of AGT tended to have poor OS. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that quantitative proteomics is an effective discovery tool to identify biomarkers for prognosis prediction in ESCC. However, it needs more studies with large populations of ESCC to validate these potential biomarkers.

Introduction: Local recurrence (LR) threatens the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study interrogated the optimal re-irradiation dose for the LRESCC following radical (chemo) radiotherapy.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a total of 125 patients with LRESCC after initial radiotherapy. For the radiotherapy dose, 58 patients were assigned to low-dose (LD) group (50–54 Gy) while the remaining 67 were classified into the high-dose (HD) group (55–60 Gy). We recorded the response rate (complete + partial response), 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rate, and toxicity. We then analyzed the impact of the different radiotherapy doses, and combination chemotherapy on the survival of the LRESCC patients.Results: After re-irradiation, the 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 48.3%, 24.1% and 10.3% in the LD group, and 61.2%, 34.3% and 19.4% in the HD group (P<0.05), respectively. The median survival time of patients receiving radiotherapy alone was 9 months in the LD group and 15 months in the HD group (P<0.05). Whereas the survival rate of patients treated with chemoradiotherapy was higher than that of patients treated with radiotherapy alone in the LD group, chemoradiotherapy showed no advantage over radiotherapy alone in the HD group. In addition, the incidence of esophagitis, the most common toxicity, was higher in the HD group compared to the LD group (68.7% vs 58.6%, P<0.05). Our multivariate analysis demonstrated that re-irradiation dose was an independent favorable prognostic factor in patients with LRESCC.Conclusion: Taken together, our data shows that, increasing the re-irradiation therapy dose (55-60Gy) improves the long-term survival of patients with LRESCC after radiotherapy, with tolerable toxicity.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the prognostic value of nutritional risk score (NRS) in patients with metastatic or recurrent ESCC. A total of 187 patients who undergoing S1 based or paclitaxel based salvage chemotherapy were enrolled in this retrospective study. Nutritional status was evaluated by NRS. The relationship between NRS and clinicopathological variables and post-treatment outcomes were assessed by univariate and multivariate analysis. NRS was significantly associated with weight loss (P

Lessons Learned Weekly treatment with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin, concurrent with radiotherapy, achieved promising response rates in patients with postoperative recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Superior toxicity results were also found. Background Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is one of the treatment strategies for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with postoperative locoregional recurrence. However, the once every 3 weeks chemotherapy regimen causes a high incidence of toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of weekly 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin concurrent with radiotherapy in postoperative locoregional recurrent ESCC. Materials and Methods Patients received four weekly chemotherapy cycles of cisplatin (25 mg/m2, day 1) plus 5-FU (1,176 mg/m2, day 1–3), and concurrent with radiotherapy (50.4–60 Gy). The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). Secondary objectives were toxicity, disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results Between January 2013 and December 2015, 48 patients were enrolled. The ORR was 68.8% (12 patients with complete response, 21 patients with partial response), with DCR 68.8%. No treatment-related grade 4 adverse events occurred. Grade 3 hematologic toxicities were observed in eight (17%) patients. Grade 3 vomiting or esophagitis occurred in four (8%) patients each. The median PFS and OS were 13.94 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75–51.05) and 27.43 months (95% CI, 5.278–49.58; Fig. 1). Conclusion Weekly 5-FU and cisplatin concurrent with radiotherapy achieved a promising response rate and improved toxicity in patients with postoperative locoregional recurrent ESCC.

Background Re-irradiation (re-RT) has the active effect of relieving clinical symptoms and prolonging the survival of patients with recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the optimal re-RT dose is still uncertain. Here, we analyzed the prognostic factors associated with survival and explored the optimal re-RT dose for patients with recurrent ESCC following definitive radiotherapy. Patients and methods The data of 47 patients with recurrent ESCC who were retreated between 2010 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received a radiation dose > 50 Gy during the primary treatment. The median time to recurrence after primary radiotherapy was 26 months (range 6–120 months). All patients had in-field recurrence in the esophagus. Recurrence within the local site was observed in 37 patients (78.7%), and recurrence in both the local site and regional nodes were observed in 10 patients (21.3%). All patients received 3D conformal re-RT with a median dose of 58 Gy (range 26–64 Gy). Chemotherapy was sequentially used in 27.7% of the patients. Survival curves were constructed according to the Kaplan-Meier method and were compared by log-rank tests. The factors predictive of survival were identified with univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Dysphagia relief after re-RT was achieved in 20 of the 35 symptomatic patients (57.1%). The median survival time (MST) of all patients was 17 months, and the 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 72.3, 25.5, 17.0 and 2.1%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) of 0–1 (P = 0.014), recurrence at the local site (P = 0.048), time to recurrence ≥24 months (P = 0.006) and re-RT dose ≥50 Gy (P P = 0.007). Severe complications were observed in 7 patients, two of whom received a re-RT dose > 60 Gy. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that patients with recurrent ESCC following definitive radiotherapy had unfavorable OS. Re-RT could be considered a feasible and effective treatment modality. A re-RT dose > 50 Gy could improve the survival outcomes, and a dose > 60 Gy should be administered with caution due to the risk of severe complications.

Aim The aim is to find out what treatment should be chosen at the time of recurrence of the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after curative esophagectomy. Background & Methods ESCC patients with recurrence after curative resection have extremely poor survival rates. However, long-term survival cases and complete cure cases have also been reported. We retrospectively evaluated 184 patients with recurrent ESCC after curative esophagectomy between 2001 and 2015. Results M/F: 148/36, Median age: 64(36-84), Location: Upper third/Middle/Lower: 18/105/61, Pretreatment: None/Neoadjuvant chemotherapy/Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT)/Definitive CRT: 79/42/30/33, pT0/1/2/3/4: 3/39/18/119/5, pN0/1/2/3: 51/59/51/22, pStage1/2/3/4: 24/51/95/14 (UICC 7th), Recurrence site: Lymph node 124 (67%) [cervical 35 (19%), mediastinum 82 (45%), abdomen 35 (19%)], lung 36 (20%), liver 32 (17%), pleura 18 (10%), bone 13 (7%), brain 3 (1.6%), peritoneum 3, skin 2 (1.1%) adrenal 2, residual esophagus 1 (0.5%), gastric tube 1, colon 1, kidney 1, testis 1. First treatment after recurrence: Surgery/CRT/chemotherapy/Best Supportive Care (BSC): 8/89/64/23. Regarding to overall survival after recurrence by the treatment groups, there was a significant difference between all groups; surgery (median 61 months) > CRT (17) > chemotherapy (9) > BSC (1). Surgery was performed to the patients with solitary lesion (lung 3, cervical lymph node 3, descending colon 1, brain 1). Prognosis of the patients with single-organ recurrence was better than that of those with multi-organ recurrence only in CRT group, and prognosis of the patients without pretreatment was better than that of those with pretreatment only in chemotherapy group. Regarding to the time from esophagectomy to recurrence, the patients with the duration of 6 months or more had a good prognosis compared with those with less than 6 months only in CRT group. Conclusion As treatment for recurrent ESCC after curative esophagectomy, some treatment may be recommended as much as possible. Priority is given in the order of Surgery > CRT > Chemotherapy. Surgery may be recommended for the patients with solitary recurrence of lung or cervical Lymph nodes. CRT may be recommended for the patients with single-organ recurrence, at least six months after esophagectomy. Chemotherapy may be recommended for the patients without preoperative treatment.

Introduction: Re-irradiation after radiotherapy is a common treatment for locally recurrent esophageal cancer. However, the side effects of re-irradiation are serious. The most serious adverse reactions of re-irradiation include esophageal perforation and hemorrhage caused by esophageal perforation. Studies have shown that pulsed low-dose rate radiotherapy (PLDR) induces a hypersensitivity effect on tumor tissue and a hyper-repair effect on normal tissue, which can simultaneously reduce damage on the normal tissue and increase the therapeutic effect on the tumor. The objective of this study is to explore whether PLDR can reduce rate of esophageal perforation and improve efficacy in patients with recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after radiotherapy. Methods and analysis: This study is a prospective, multi-center, open, single-arm clinical trial designed to enroll 27 patients with locally recurrent ESCC after radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. Re-irradiation will be performed using intensity modulated radiation therapy in 50 Gy/25 fractions. The strategy of PLDR includes dividing 2 Gy into 10 fractions, and administering each irradiating dose of 20 cGy at an interval of 3 minutes before the next low-dose irradiation. The actual dose rate of administration each time will be 16.67 cGy /minute. The primary endpoint in this study is the rate of esophageal perforation. The secondary endpoints are the objective remission rate, the palliative effect on quality of life and pain, and the time of disease progression. The observation time is 2 years after the end of the study. Trial registration: Clinical trial number: ChiCTR1900020609.

Local tumor recurrence is one of the main causes for the failure of esophageal cancer treatment following radiotherapy. Previous studies have demonstrated that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‑targeted therapy combined with radiotherapy is expected to become an effective means to control tumor recurrence. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of nimotuzumab (an EGFR‑targeted antibody) in the treatment of recurrent esophageal carcinoma. The radiation responses of two esophageal squamous carcinoma cell lines, EC109 and TE‑1, with or without nimotuzumab, were first evaluated by CCK‑8 assay. Colony formation and apoptosis were used to measure anti‑proliferation effects. It was demonstrated that nimotuzumab arrested the cell cycle at the G2 phase in vitro. Western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis were used to determine signaling pathway changes. It was observed that nimotuzumab inhibited phosphorylation of EGFR in EC109 cells. Furthermore, recurrent tumor models were established and it was identified that the degree of tumor hypoxia was positively associated with EGFR overexpression. In EC109 cell xenografts, nimotuzumab combined with radiation led to a significant delay in recurrent tumor growth compared with that of radiation alone (P

Lessons Learned The 5-fluorouracil, docetaxel, and nedaplatin (UDON) regimen was well tolerated and showed promising antitumor activity in terms of both objective response rate and survival for patients with advanced or recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the first-line setting. UDON may be an optimal treatment option for patients with advanced esophageal cancer who are unfit for docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil regimens. The high response rate as well as the rapid and marked tumor shrinkage associated with UDON suggest that further evaluation of this regimen in the neoadjuvant setting is warranted. Background A phase II study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), docetaxel, and nedaplatin (UDON) combination therapy for untreated recurrent or metastatic esophageal cancer. Methods Patients received intravenous nedaplatin (90 mg/m2) on day 1, docetaxel (35 mg/m2) on days 1 and 15, and 5-fluorouracil (800 mg/m2) on days 1–5 of a 4-week cycle. The primary endpoint was response rate, with secondary endpoints including overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), dysphagia score, and adverse events. Results Between March 2015 and July 2017, 23 patients were enrolled. Of 22 evaluable patients, 16 and 4 individuals experienced a partial response and stable disease, respectively, yielding a response rate of 72.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.8%–89.3%) and disease control rate of 90.9% (95% CI, 70.8%–98.9%). Median OS and PFS were 11.2 months (95% CI, 9.1 months to not reached) and 6.0 months (95% CI, 2.5–10.6 months), respectively. Eleven (64.7%) of the 17 patients with a primary lesion showed amelioration of dysphagia after treatment. Frequent adverse events of grade 3 or 4 included neutropenia (87.0%) and leukopenia (39.1%). Febrile neutropenia was observed in two patients (8.7%). Conclusion This phase II study demonstrated promising antitumor activity and good tolerability of UDON.

Background: To evaluate the activity and toxicity of docetaxel in patients with metastatic esophageal cancer. Patients and methods: Eligible patients had histologically confirmed carcinoma of the esophagus with measurable metastatic sites according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). Patients were either chemotherapy-naive or previously treated with one regimen of chemotherapy. Docetaxel 70 mg/m 2 was administered intravenously over 1–2 h, every 21 days. Results: Of 52 patients enrolled in this study, three were excluded because they did not receive docetaxel due to worsening condition after enrollment. Thirty-six patients had received prior platinum-based chemotherapy. The majority of patients (94%) had squamous cell carcinoma. Ten of 49 evaluable patients [20%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 10–34%] showed a partial response. Of the 10 partial responses, six patients had received prior platinum-based chemotherapy. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia was noted in 43 of 49 patients (88%), and nine of 49 patients (18%) developed febrile neutropenia. Twenty-eight of 49 patients (57%) required lenograstim. Grade 3 anorexia and fatigue occurred in nine (18%) and six (12%) patients, respectively. Median survival time was 8.1 months (95% CI 6.6–11.3) and the 1-year survival rate was 35% (95% CI 21–48%). Conclusions: Docetaxel as a single agent is effective in esophageal cancer, but careful management of neutro

Background This phase II study assessed the response rate and toxicity profile of weekly paclitaxel and capecitabine in patients with metastatic or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SCCE) Methods Patients with histologically confirmed SCCE were treated with paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8 plus capecitabine 900 mg/m2 orally twice a day on days 1-14. Treatment cycles were repeated every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Results Between 2006 and 2009, 32 patients were enrolled. Twelve patients were chemotherapy-naïve. Twenty patients had received prior chemotherapy including platinum-based regimens. Patients received a median of 5 cycles of treatment (range, 1-12). The response rate was 75% (95%CI; 50.5~99.5%) in the first-line and 45% (95%CI; 26.9~73.1%) in the second-line. With a median follow-up of 20.7 months, median progression-free survival was 5.2 months (95% CI, 4.0 to 6.4) for all patients and median overall survival (OS) was 11.7 months (95% CI, 5.5 to 18.0) for all patients. The median OS was 14.3 months (95% CI, 10.6 to 18.0) for patients receiving therapy as 1st line and 8.4 months (95% CI, 6.6 to 10.1) for those receiving as 2nd-line therapy. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was observed in 53.3% of the patients, which was the most common cause of dose reduction. G3 non-hematologic toxicity included stomatitis (9.4%), asthenia (6.3%), and hand-foot skin reaction (3.1%). Conclusions Weekly paclitaxel and capecitabine is a highly active and well-tolerated regimen in patients with metastatic or recurrent SCCE in the first-line as well as second-line setting.

Background: There is an urgent need for an effective second-line chemotherapy regimen after failure of the standard cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil therapy. Patients and Methods: This study investigated the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of docetaxel (30 mg/m2) during a 1-hour infusion, followed by nedaplatin (50 mg/m2) during a 2-hour infusion (both drugs were administered on day 1 as an outpatient regimen and repeated every 2 weeks) as second-line chemotherapy for patients with cisplatin-pretreated refractory metastatic/recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after surgery. Results: Forty-six of the 48 patients (95.8%) were assessable for response. Partial response was confirmed in 13 of 48 cases yielding a response rate of 27.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.5–39.7%). The median overall time to progression and overall survival was 3.1 months (95% CI, 2.3–3.9 months) and 5.9 months (95% CI, 3.9–7.8 months), respectively. The estimate of overall survival at 12 months was 16.7% (95% CI, 6.1–27.2%). Grade 3 anemia leucopenia, grade 4 anemia leucopenia and neutropenia were detected in only 4 (8.7%), 8 (17.4%), and 9 patients (19.6%), respectively. Conclusions: The combination chemotherapy of docetaxel and nedaplatin in the outpatient setting is well tolerated and useful as second-line chemotherapy for cisplatin-pretreated refractory metastatic/recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the salvage radiotherapy outcome in patients with local recurrent esophageal cancer after radical radiochemotherapy (RCT). Methods A total of 114 patients with local recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after initial radical RCT were retrospectively analyzed. Fifty-five (55) patients belonged to the salvage radiotherapy group (SR group) and 59 patients to the non-salvage radiotherapy group (NSR group). Results The median survival time after-recurrence was 4 months in all patients. The 1, 2, 3 year overall survival (OS) rates were 83.6%, 41.8% and 21.8% respectively in the SR group, and 57.6%, 16.9%, and 8.5% in the NSR group. The 6-month and 1-year survival rates after-recurrence were 41.8% and 16.4% respectively in the SR group, and 11.9% and 3.4% respectively in the NSR group. A salvage radiation dose > 50 Gy after initial radical RCT, improved the survival of patients with local recurrent esophageal cancer. Three patients (5.45%) from the SR group showed more than 3-grade radiation pneumonitis. In addition, esophageal fistula/perforation was observed in 11 cases (20.0%) in the SR group and in 8 cases (13.6%) in the NSR group. Conclusions Salvage treatment after definitive RCT may improve the overall survival and survival after-recurrence of patients with local recurrent esophageal cancer.