Efficacy of different types of neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer
Objective To investigate the efficacy of different types of neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer.Methods The clinical data of 542 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)who received neoadjuvant therapy in Anyang Tumor Hospital of Science and Technology from January 2015 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.These patients,consisting of 198 females and 344 males,with 289 cases aging ≤ 65 and 253 cases aging>65,were divided into a neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy(NCRT)group(137 cases),a neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NCT)group(241 cases),and a neoadjuvant immunotherapy plus chemotherapy(NICT)group(164 cases).In this study,primary endpoints included major pathological response(MPR)and pathologic complete response(pCR)rates,and secondary endpoints comprised overall survival(OS),progression-free survival(PFS),and safety.Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method,and inter-group comparisons were made using the Log-rank test.Furthermore,prognostic factors were analyzed based on the Cox proportional hazards regression model.Results The NCRT,NCT,and NICT groups exhibited MPR and pCR rates of 66.4%(91/137)and 35.3%(85/241),63.4%(104/164)and 35.8%(49/137),and 6.6%(16/241)and 31.1%(51/164),respectively(X2=1.67,P<0.001).These groups displayed 1-,2-,and 3-year OS rates of 89.8%,85.9%,and 91.9%;82.3%,71.4%,and 81.5%;and 72.3%,61.4%,and 77.8%,respectively,with significant differences(X2=9.20,P<0.01).Furthermore,they exhibited 1-,2-,and 3-year PFS rates of 81.5%,75.9%,and 80.1%;67.9%,61.0%,and 65.5%;and 66.6%,53.5%,and 65.3%,respectively,with significant differences(X2=4.62,P<0.05).Multivariate analysis showed that therapeutic modality,T stage,and N stage were independent prognostic factors for OS(P<0.05).Additionally,there was no difference in adverse reactions and postoperative complications among the three groups.Conclusions Compared to NCT,NICT and NCRT feature higher pCR and MPR rates,along with more survival benefits.Therefore,neoadjuvant immunotherapy has the potential to serve as a preoperative therapeutic modality for esophageal cancer,yet large-scale randomized controlled trials are still required for confirmation.
Esophageal cancerEfficacy evaluationNeoadjuvant chemotherapy for esophageal cancerNeoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancerNeoadjuvant chemotherapy plus immunotherapy for esophageal cancer