The role of surgery and postoperative chemoradiation therapy in patients with lymph node positive esophageal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Patients who have undergone resection for lymph node positive esophageal carcinoma are at high risk of disease recurrence and early death. The role of postoperative adjuvant therapy in this population needs to be determined. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients with resected esophageal carcinoma between 1991 and 1997 was performed. Lymph node positive (N1) patients who received concurrent or sequential postoperative radiotherapy (50 grays) and chemotherapy (cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil with or without epirubicin) were compared with N1 patients who underwent surgery alone. The disease free and overall survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and groups were compared with the log-rank test. Prognostic variables were entered into a Cox regression model controlling for age, weight loss, T status, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, and treatment received. RESULTS: A total of 165 patients were reviewed: Twenty-eight N1 patients underwent surgery alone (S group), and 38 N1 patients underwent surgery and received postoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT group). Preoperative risk factors, tumor characteristics, ECOG scores, and lengths of hospital stay were similar. The disease free survival rates were similar (S group, 10.6 months; CRT group, 10.2 months), although the S group had more local disease recurrences (S group, 35%; CRT group, 13%; P = 0.09). The overall survival rate according to the Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a significant survival advantage with postoperative CRT radiation (log-rank test; P = 0.001). The median overall survival for the CRT group was 47.5 months, which was significantly longer than that of the S group (14.1 months). The ECOG score, T status, and treatment received all were found to influence survival significantly on univariate analysis. In the multivariate model, postoperative CRT was a predictor of survival (P = 0.007; risk ratio for mortality, 0.35; 95% confidence interval, 0.16-0.76) and was correlated with a significantly decreased risk of death in patients with lymph node positive, resected esophageal carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative CRT appears to prolong survival in patients with lymph node positive, resected esophageal carcinoma.