[Organ-sparing treatment in oesophagus cancer: feasible and safe?]

In many countries, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) plus surgery is standard treatment for resectable oesophageal cancer. After nCRT, up to 30% of all patients have no residual disease in the resection specimen. Consequently, an active surveillance approach, in which patients undergo frequent clinical investigations after nCRT instead of standard oesophagectomy, is increasingly applied in selected patients. Here, we describe outcomes for three patients who underwent active surveillance. A 63-year old woman was considered unfit for surgery after nCRT. Four years after completion of nCRT, she still had no signs of disease recurrence. The second patient, a 57-year old woman, refused surgery when no residual disease was detectable after nCRT. One year following treatment, she developed a vertebral metastasis, in the absence of locoregional disease. The third patient concerned a 66-year old man with a clinically complete response after nCRT, who also refused surgery. During active surveillance, he developed a locoregional regrowth and underwent a radical oesophagectomy.