Pulmonary complications of multimodality therapy for esophageal carcinoma

Thirty patients with cancer of the esophagus were treated with multimodality therapy. We studied the incidence of pulmonary complications in these patients. The value of chest radiographs and sequential measurements of carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLco) in predicting pulmonary toxicity was determined. Patients were divided into two groups, according to treatment. Patients in group I (n = 16) received two cycles of chemotherapy (bleomycin 15 units/m2, cisplatinum 120 mg/m2, vincristine 2 mg) and radiotherapy (50 Gy). Based on the presence of interstitial lesions on chest radiographs in five patients the incidence of pulmonary toxicity was 32%. In four of these five patients such an appearance was preceded by a drop in DLco: this was documented in 8 of the 16 patients. Nine patients of group I underwent esophagectomy and four (44%) developed adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In group II (n = 14) the tumor was resected without other treatment and four (29%) of these patients developed ARDS. The incidence of ARDS in both groups demonstrates that pulmonary complications are mainly related to surgical manipulation and to preexisting lung disease. Preoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be associated factors. Sequential measurements of DLco are more sensitive for detecting pulmonary damage than chest radiographs and should be used to predict pulmonary toxicity.