Chemotherapy followed by surgery improves survival in esophageal cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Boonstra Jurjen J, Kok Tjebbe C, Wijnhoven Bas PL, van Heijl Mark, van Berge Henegouwen Mark I, ten Kate Fiebo JW, Siersema Peter D, Dinjens Winand NM, van Lanschot Jan JB, Tilanus Hugo W, van der Gaast Ate
Primary Institution: Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Hypothesis
Does preoperative chemotherapy improve overall survival in patients with resectable oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared to surgery alone?
Conclusion
Preoperative chemotherapy with a combination of etoposide and cisplatin significantly improved overall survival in patients with OSCC.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients receiving chemotherapy had a median overall survival of 16 months compared to 12 months for those who had surgery alone.
- Two-year survival rates were 42% for the chemotherapy group and 30% for the surgery group.
- Five-year survival rates were 26% for the chemotherapy group and 17% for the surgery group.
Takeaway
Giving chemotherapy before surgery helps people with a certain type of throat cancer live longer than just having surgery.
Methodology
Patients were randomly assigned to receive either preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgery or surgery alone, with survival rates analyzed over time.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to the exclusion of patients with certain characteristics and the retrospective nature of some data collection.
Limitations
The study's findings may be limited by the lack of modern staging techniques and missing data from some patients.
Participant Demographics
Patients were mostly male (75%) with a median age of 60 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.03
Confidence Interval
95%CI 0.51-0.98
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website