抄録
The purpose of this study was to identify a predictor of the curative effect of preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We investigated the correlation between the type of variations in serum SCC-antigen (SCC-Ag) levels during preoperative CRT and the response to preoperative CRT. A total of 30 patients with pathological stage I, II or III SCC who underwent a complete thoracoscopic esophagectomy were enrolled in this study. They were administered preoperative CRT, consisting of chemotherapy with a combination of low dose nedaplatin and 5-fluorouracil, and concurrent radiotherapy with a total dose of 30-40Gy. Serum samples were obtained before the initiation of preoperative CRT and after the completion of all the CRT courses (before the surgery). Patients who experienced a ≥20% increase in the serum SCC-Ag level during preoperative CRT had a lower disease-free survival rate than those with no increase. However, the overall survival rates did not significantly vary between the 2 groups of patients. These findings were also present among patients whose serum SCC-Ag levels were below the cut-off value (1.5 ng/dL). In conclusion, the type of variations in serum SCC-Ag levels appears to be useful for predicting the recurrence of esophageal SCC.
