Esophageal cancer management controversies: Radiation oncology point of view

Table 3 Pros and cons of post-operative therapy for esophageal cancer

Post-op therapy	Pros	Treatment decision based on true pathologic stage, avoid CRT in patient who may not require it
		Accurate assessment of disease extent to allow delineation of disease involvement
		Immediate relief of dysphagia due to tumor
	Cons	Difficulty to delineate RT target volume
		Large RT therapy volume and difficulty in RT planning
		Potential decrease in oxygenation to tumor bed due to postoperative tissue alteration in vascular supply
		Inability to assess RT or chemo tumor response
		May preclude the use of postoperative CRT for those patients with reduced functional status postoperatively

CRT: Chemoradiation therapy; RT: Radiotherapy.