Rao V, Singh S, Zade B. Advances in radiotherapy in the treatment of esophageal cancer. World J Clin Oncol 2025; 16(3): 102872 [DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i3.102872]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Vrushab Rao, Department of Cyberknife Radiosurgery and Radiation Oncology, Ruby Hall Clinic, 40 Sassoon Road, Pune 411001, Maharashtra, India. raovrushab@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Oncol. Mar 24, 2025; 16(3): 102872 Published online Mar 24, 2025. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i3.102872
Advances in radiotherapy in the treatment of esophageal cancer
Vrushab Rao, Soumya Singh, Bhooshan Zade
Vrushab Rao, Soumya Singh, Bhooshan Zade, Department of Cyberknife Radiosurgery and Radiation Oncology, Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune 411001, Maharashtra, India
Author contributions: Rao V, Singh S and Zade B was involved in conceptualizing the article, data collection, manuscript drafting and editing.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Vrushab Rao, Department of Cyberknife Radiosurgery and Radiation Oncology, Ruby Hall Clinic, 40 Sassoon Road, Pune 411001, Maharashtra, India. raovrushab@gmail.com
Received: November 1, 2024 Revised: December 6, 2024 Accepted: December 27, 2024 Published online: March 24, 2025 Processing time: 82 Days and 2.9 Hours
Abstract
Recent advancements in radiotherapy for esophageal cancer have significantly improved treatment outcomes and patient quality of life. Traditional radiotherapy techniques have been enhanced by the integration of advanced imaging and precision targeting technologies, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy and proton therapy, which allow for more accurate tumor targeting while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Additionally, combining radiotherapy with immunotherapy has shown promising results, leveraging the body’s immune response to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Studies have also highlighted the benefits of neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgical resection, which has been associated with improved overall survival rates compared to radiotherapy alone. These innovations are paving the way for more effective and personalized treatment strategies, offering new hope for patients with esophageal cancer.
Core Tip: In the era of targeted therapy, radiotherapy practices have been modified based on the evidence available. This article summarizes the current practices of curative radiotherapy as a part of the multi-modality treatment of esophageal carcinoma.
