Assessing chemotherapy response of squamous cell oesophageal carcinoma with spiral CT

45 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus were examined prior to, and following, pre-operative chemotherapy by spiral CT. Oesophageal CT was performed following gaseous distention of the oesophagus. TNM stage and perceived resectability on CT before and after chemotherapy were compared and related to surgical resectability and pathological staging. T-stage changed in 26% and N-stage changed in 9% of tumours after chemotherapy. Post-chemotherapy CT predicted pathological T-stage with an accuracy of 88% and N-stage with an accuracy of 84%. Six of 14 tumours considered irresectable on CT pre-chemotherapy were considered resectable on post-chemotherapy CT. Five of these six tumours were resectable at surgery. Post-chemotherapy CT predicted surgical resectability with an accuracy of 88%, the main pitfall being underestimation and overestimation of tracheobronchial invasion. CT prediction of chemotherapy response as judged by change in tumour volume was compared with a quantitative pathological assessment of chemotherapy response. 93% of oesophageal tumours changed volume after chemotherapy with 51% having a volume reduction of > or = 50%. However, no correlation was found between tumour volume reduction on serial CT examinations and either a quantitative pathological assessment of tumour response or patient survival.