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Xiu-Feng Cao, He-Ming Wang, Shui-Qing Huang, Bing Zhu, Lv Ji, Jian Xiao, Oncology Center of Nanjing First Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210006, Jiangsu Province, China
Correspondence to: Xiu-Feng Cao, Oncology Center of Nanjing First Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, 68 Changle Road, Nanjing 210006, Jiangsu Province, China. cxf551101@sina.com
Received: April 19, 2007 Revised: July 23, 2007 Accepted: July 28, 2007 Published online: August 8, 2007
AIM: To evaluate the effects of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy on the pathological stage and prognosis of middle and advanced esophageal carcinoma.
METHODS: Between January 1991 and December 2000, 473 patients with middle and advanced esophageal carcinoma were randomly divided into four groups; neoadjuvant radiotherapy (n = 118), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n = 119), neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (n = 118) and control (surgery alone) (n = 118). The differences in resection rates, pathological stage, treatment-related complications and survival rates were statistically analyzed.
RESULTS: The data showed that the radical resection rate for patients in the radiotherapy, chemotherapy and radiochemotherapy groups was increased compared with that of the control group (97.5%, 86.6% and 98.3% vs 73.7%, all P < 0.01). The pathological stages of the radiotherapy and radiochemotherapy groups were more significantly regressed than that of the control group (P < 0.01). The chemotherapy group did not show the same effect. Treatment-related complications of the three neoadjuvant groups showed no significant difference from that of the control group (P > 0.05). The 3-year survival rates of the radiotherapy and radiochemotherapy groups were significantly higher than that of the control group (69.5% and 73.7% vs 53.4%, both P < 0.01). The 5-yr survival rate of the radiochemotherapy group was higher than that of the radiotherapy group, but did not demonstrate statistical significance (45.0% vs 40.7%, P > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The rational application of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy appears to provide a modest survival benefit and to improve the quality of life for patients with middle and advanced esophageal carcinomas.
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