Cancer of the Esophagus: The Wayne State University experience

Summary The rationale for the preoperative therapy for cancer of the esophagus is described. The first trial with infusion FUra mitomycin-c and radiation performed at Wayne State University (WSU) is described. The dramatic responses were duplicated when cisplatin was substituted for mitomycin. Moreover, survival was improved over the mitomycin-c trial. These neoadjuvant trials led to a third WSU clinical trial in which the neoadjuvant therapy became the definitive therapy.Kenneth Norris Jr., Rm 162, 1441 Eastlake Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA