Curative Brachytherapy for Inoperable Early-Stage Oesophageal Cancer: A Case Series and Narrative Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiation Oncology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Limited treatment options exist for patients with T1-T2 oesophageal cancer ineligible for surgery or chemotherapy.
• These patients often face a poor prognosis due to the lack of effective therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and endo-oesophageal brachytherapy (EBT) as a curative treatment.
• To assess cause-specific survival (CSS) and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) in this patient cohort.

Main Methods:

• Single-centre retrospective analysis of 11 patients with T1-T2 oesophageal cancer.
• Treatment involved combined EBRT and EBT schedules.
• Data collected included clinical details, treatment protocols, outcomes, and complications; survival analysis used Kaplan-Meier methods.

Main Results:

• Median follow-up was 22 months.
• Two-year CSS rate was 79.5%, and two-year LRFS rate was 74.1%.
• One severe toxicity (grade ≥ 3) was noted; common mild toxicities included oesophageal mucositis and ulceration.

Conclusions:

• Combined EBRT and EBT is a feasible and well-tolerated treatment for inoperable T1-T2 oesophageal cancer.
• This therapeutic strategy offers favorable survival outcomes for a patient group with limited alternatives.
• The combination shows potential as a curative-intent treatment in this challenging population.