Evaluation of Neoadjuvant Radiochemotherapy Response (RCT) in Squamous Esophageal Cancer (ESC) and Implications in...

The multidisciplinary approach in ESC emerged as a result of efforts to maximize the treatment outcome of this disease.Surgical approach as the only therapeutic option is not always followed by a good distance survival. A concomitant neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in ESC may result in a favourable outcome for responding patients, reducing the size of the tumor and the degree of lymph node damage increasing resectability and the R0 resection rate, improving prognosis. For non-responding patients or if the disease continues to progress under RCT therapy, the surgical time is delayed, adverse effects of radiochemotherapy are added and postoperative morbidity and mortality are increased. The imaging methods for the assessment of response have only limited value and metabolic response; only FDG-PET manages to come close to pathological response. Determining the response degree is very important for the establishment of the surgical conduct: planned or necessity surgery, or non-surgical palliative therapy.