[The significance of chemoradiation therapy for TNM cStage II - III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma]

The value of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) followed by surgery is unknown in Japan.Thirty Patients with TNM cStage II - III squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the esophagus were divided into CRT (40 Gy) followed by surgery( arm A) and definitive CRT( 60 Gy()arm B). The correlations between several clinicopathological factors and survival time were examined.The effective rate (CR+PR) of CRT was 75% in arm A versus 88.9% in arm B (p= 0.32). There was no significant difference about the median survival time (arm A: 17. 4 months, arm B: 12. 6 months, p= 0.18). The two-year survival rate was 40 . 4% in arm A versus 41 . 6% in arm B (p=0.35).Our retrospective study showed no significant difference in prognosis between CRT followed by surgery and definitive CRT. Definitive CRT might be a choice of therapy for curative esophageal carcinoma.