Abstract:
Objective To compare the therapeutic efficacy of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with or without concurrent chemotherapy for thoracic esophageal carcinoma with mediastinal lymph node metastasis.
Methods AData of 49 patients with thoracic esophageal carcinoma confirmed by endoscopic biopsy between January 2007 and January 2008 were retrospectively reviewed in this study. All cases were pathologically verified to be squamous carcinoma and were found to suffer mediastinal lymph node metastasis by computerized tomography. Seventeen patients underwent simple IMRT (IMRT group), whereas concurrent chemotherapy was added to the treatment of the remaining 32 patients (CRT group). The chemotherapy regimen was 80 mg/m2 Co-fluorouracil on days 1 to 5 and 70 mg/m2 Cis-Diammine- Glycoplatinum on day 1. Radiation dose was prescribed as Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) 60 Gy to 70 Gy and Clinical Target Volume (CTV) 54 Gy to 63 Gy for the IMRT group, and GTV 60 Gy and CTV 54 Gy for the CRT group. A dose of 2 Gy / fraction was given for GTV and 1.8 Gy / fraction for CTV. The whole course of treatment lasted for six to seven weeks. Radiotherapy started on the first day of chemotherapy.
Results All cases complied well with the assigned therapy without interruption. The toxicity response was tolerated. The median follow-up time was 34 months and the follow-up rate was 97 %. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year local control rate was 93.3 %, 60.9 %, and 25.4 % in the IMRT group, and 90.3 %, 78.7 %, and 58.1 % in the CRT group (χ2= 3.198, P = 0.074), respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rate was 88.2 %, 44.1 %, and 29.4 % for the IMRT group, and 93.5%, 71.1%, and 55.9% for the CRT group (χ2 = 4.733, P = 0.030), respectively. The toxicity related to the therapy was acute radiated esophageal injury. The bone marrow inhibition rate of CRT was higher in the CRT group compared with that of the IMRT group. All patients received treatment plans for appropriate symptomatic thetreatments was ceased or prolonged because of toxicity in the cases.
Conclusion IMRT with concurrent chemotherapy might be superior to simple IMRT in terms of the 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rate for thoracic esophageal carcinoma patients with mediastinal lymph node metastasis. The toxicity could be well tolerated.