Retrospective analysis of effcacy of neoadjuvant radiation and chemoradiation treatments in patients with thoracic esophageal cancer

The analysis of treatment for 78 patients with stage IIA-III stage thoracic esophageal cancer was carried our during the period from 1997 to 2006. Group A patients received preoperative external beam radiation therapy at a single dose of 3.0 Gy up to a total dose of 30-33 Gy. Group В patients received prolonged 10-day administration of cytostatic drugs (cisplatin 6 mg/m2 i.v, fluorouracil 300 mg/m2 daily given as a continuous infusion) concurrent with radiation therapy. Group С patients received prolonged 4-day administration of cisplatin 75 mg/m2 i.v. and fluorouracil 1000 mg/m2 daily as a continuous infusion. Immediate toxicity was observed more frequently in patients who received chemotherapy in combination with radiation therapy compared to those received radiation therapy alone: granulocytopenia in 96 % and 26.9 % of the patients (p