Abstract
We have been performing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for advanced esophageal cancer consisting of fluorouracil, adriamycin, and cisplatin (FAP) since 2001 and docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (DCF) since 2009. The safety, efficacy, and R0 rate of FAP and DCF therapies were compared in this study. The data of 25 patients with a diagnosis of cStage II/III (cT3) esophageal cancer, which was treated with NAC followed by surgery (15 treated with FAP and 10 with DCF), were compared with those of 66 patients who underwent surgery alone.
The NAC response rate was higher in patients treated with DCF compared with those treated with FAP. However, the survival rate was comparable regardless of NAC type or whether the NAC was used or not. While the frequency of hematotoxicity was higher in the DCF patients, they tolerated the treatment well. The NAC may improve the R0 rate in patients with larger tumors.
Although we are currently performing DCF as NAC for advanced esophageal cancer, we will need to conduct further study in a larger sample size to determine if the results from the present study can lead to improvement of the patients’ prognosis.
