Current approach in the treatment for resectable esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma

Esophageal cancer is one of the most aggressive malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by high malignancy potential and poor prognosis. Surgical treatment is the standard for localized esophageal cancer, but the results of only surgery for locally advanced tumors remain unsatisfactory. The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, as well as neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy, leads to a downstaging of the tumor, improves its resectability and increases an overall and disease-free survival rates. The method of choice for unresectable esophageal cancer, as in case of refusal or intolerance to surgical treatment, is definitive chemoradiotherapy. Until recently, adjuvant therapy after R0 resection was not carried out, however, there is evidence that the postoperative use of nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, significantly improves progression-free survival in patients with evidence of residual tumor. This article presents a current review of the treatment for resectable squamous-cell carcinoma of the esophagus.