Results of surgical resection of squamous cells carcinoma of the oesophagus with or without preoperative radiochemotherapy: comparative and retrospective study

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study was to assess preoperative radio-chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was a retrospective comparison between radio-chemotherapy followed by surgical resection (RCPO) and surgery alone. The RCPO group included patients with tumor located in the middle or lower third of the esophagus, staged T2 or T3 tumors without distant metastases by pretherapeutic assessment. These patients were matched with patients who underwent immediate surgery, who constituted the surgical group (CHIR). Both groups were matched for gender, age, tumor localization (middle or lower third), T stage, and surgical procedure. Each group included 77 men and 9 women, 50 tumors of the middle third and 36 of the lower third of the oesophagus, and 19 tumors T2 and 67 T3 ones. RESULTS: Morbidity of both groups was not significantly different. The mortality was 4% in the group CHIR and 12% in the group RCPO (P =0.07). The rate of radical resection (R0) was significantly higher in the RCPO group (74% vs. 51%; P =0.001). The overall 5-year survival rate was 38% after R0 surgery and 11% after R1 or R2 surgery (P <0.0001). After R0 surgery, the 5-year survival rate was 47% in the CHIR group and 32% in the RCPO group (P =0.06). CONCLUSION: Preoperative radiochemotherapy increases the rate of radical surgical resection without significant increase in postoperative morbidity and mortality.