[Preoperative chemotherapy in esophageal cancer: an advantage or danger for surgical intervention?]

42 patients with localized squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus were treated according to a phase II study with cisplatin, vindesine and bleomycin (Kelsen-Schema) prior to surgery. In 18 of these patients partial remission was achieved and in two cases complete remission. Of the 40 patients which were presented to surgical treatment, 4 were inoperable, in 22 cases the tumor was removed in a potentially curative manner and in 14 patients a palliative resection was performed. The postoperative mortality was 4 of 36 resected patients. Anastomotic leakage was found in 5 patients and severe cardiopulmonary complications in 4 patients. The side effects of the preoperative treatment were acceptable and seem justified by the high resectability rate and the significant improvement in survival of patients who responded to chemotherapy.