Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma

An esophagectomy with three-field lymph node dissection is the standard therapy for esophageal cancer in many countries, including Japan. However, the results of esophagectomy are still unsatisfactory in comparison to the results of surgical treatment for gastric cancer or colon cancer. On the other hand, definitive chemoradiation therapy has recently shown progress as a treatment modality for resectable esophageal cancer, with data indicating the potential efficacy of combination therapy with chemoradiation and an esophagectomy. In fact, preoperative chemoradiotherapy for resectable esophageal cancer is becoming a standard therapy in Europe and North America. The latest metaanalysis concerning neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for resectable esophageal cancer concluded that a significant survival benefit was evident with preoperative chemoradiotherapy. However, there are still no supportive data for neoadjuvant chemoradiation and surgery from a well-designed large-scale randomized control trial (RCT). A well-designed large-scale RCT is needed to determine the utility of neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Future trials based on precise diagnosis and surgical procedures are required for the adequate interpretation of the results of treatment for resectable esophageal cancer. Of course, quality control of the operation is a very important factor, because operative mortality influences these results.