[Perioperative multi-modality treatment strategies in esophageal cancer]

In order to improve the prognosis of patients with cancer of the esophagus, perioperative combined treatment modalities have been designed. The positive effect of an additional preoperative chemotherapy and of a pre- or postoperative radiotherapy has not been proven consistently until now. Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy induces a pathohistologic complete remission in one quarter of the patients. The results of radiochemotherapy without operation in esophageal carcinomas look promising. However, their exact value has still to be investigated in randomized studies.