EMR combined with chemoradiotherapy: a novel treatment for superficial esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma

Esophagectomy or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) are the procedures of choice for patients with superficial esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma. However, esophagectomy is highly invasive, and CRT is associated with the risk of local failure. A study was conducted of a novel treatment, EMR combined with CRT, for patients with superficial esophageal carcinoma. EMR was performed for the purpose of complete local tumor control and chemoradiotherapy was performed for regional and distant control.

EMR combined with CRT was performed for patients with esophageal carcinoma invading the muscularis mucosae or upper submucosa who refused esophagectomy. The planned treatment after EMR was 40 to 46 Gy of external beam radiation to the mediastinum, including the supraclavicular fossa or cardia. Chemotherapy was given during weeks 1 and 5 (5-fluorouracil, 700 mg/m(2) per 24 hours in a 120-hour infusion, and cisplatin 15 mg/m(2) per day intravenously on days 1 to 5).

During the study period, 16 patients underwent EMR combined with CRT (EMR plus CRT group) and 39 patients with similar stage cancer underwent esophagectomy (surgical resection group). None of the patients in the EMR plus CRT group have had local recurrence or metastasis. Overall survival rates at 5 years in the EMR plus CRT and surgical resection groups were estimated to be, respectively, 100% and 87.5%.

Although this study was not randomized, the results suggest that EMR combined with CRT is a safe and effective method for treating patients with superficial esophageal carcinoma. The results were equivalent or, in view of the lower degree of invasiveness, superior to surgical resection.