Multimodality approaches for the curative treatment of esophageal cancer

Carcinoma of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction tumors presenting with locoregional disease are potentially curable, although the cure rate is modest. Many different treatment approaches have been studied, with a multimodality approach associated with a 10% to 15% greater survival advantage compared with a single-modality approach. A systematic review was conducted to address 3 clinical questions: whether patients with resectable esophageal cancer should receive preoperative versus postoperative therapy, how to choose between these options, and whether surgery be avoided in patients who are candidates for both definitive chemoradiotherapy and definitive combined modality therapy. Recommendations from 3 recent treatment guidelines from Ontario, NCCN, and Belgium were consulted to address these questions.