Multicenter Phase 2 Study of Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil With Concurrent Radiation Therapy as an Organ Preservation Approach in Patients With Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Cervical Esophagus.

PURPOSE: To clarify, in a multicenter, single-arm, phase 2 study (UMIN Clinical Trials Registry no. UMIN000001439), the clinical profile of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for cervical esophageal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with operable cervical esophageal cancer, excluding candidates for endoscopic resection, were enrolled. Protocol treatment consisted of CRT and adjuvant chemotherapy (CT). First, patients received concurrent CRT with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus cisplatin (CDDP). Chemotherapy consisted of 5-FU at 700 mg/m2 intravenous on days 1 to 4 and CDDP at 70 mg/m2 intravenous on day 1, repeated every 4 weeks for 2 cycles. Radiation therapy consisted of 60 Gy in 30 fractions. After completion of CRT, 2 additional cycles of CT with 5-FU (800 mg/m2, days 1-5) and CDDP (80 mg/m2, day 1) were repeated at a 4-week interval. The primary endpoint was 3-year overall survival. RESULTS: Thirty patients were enrolled across 8 institutions in Japan, consisting of 26 men and 4 women with a median age of 64.5 years (range, 50-75 years). No grade 4 hematologic toxicity was seen in the CRT phase, and 1 grade 4 thrombocytopenia was seen in the CT phase. Grade 3 nonhematologic acute toxicities in the CRT phase were nausea (10%), mucositis (13.3%), and dysphagia (13.3%). No treatment-related death in either phase occurred. Overall complete response rate was 73%, and 3-year overall and laryngectomy-free survival were 66.5% and 52.5%, respectively. Regarding T4 disease, 3-year overall and laryngectomy-free survival were 58.3% and 38.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study, the first prospective study for cervical esophageal cancer, showed that CRT has sufficient efficacy and safety for use as an alternative to surgery for these patients.

Risk Factors for Esophageal Fistula Associated With Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Unresectable Esophageal Cancer: A Supplementary Analysis of JCOG0303.

Esophageal fistula is a critical adverse event in patients treated with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced esophageal cancer. However, risk factors associated with esophageal fistula formation in patients receiving CRT have not yet been elucidated.We retrospectively analyzed data obtained from 140 patients who were enrolled in a phase II/III trial comparing low-dose cisplatin with standard-dose cisplatin administered in combination with 5-flurouracil and concomitant radiotherapy. Inclusion criteria were performance status (PS) 0 to 2 and histologically proven thoracic esophageal cancer clinically diagnosed as T4 and/or unresectable lymph node metastasis for which definitive CRT was applicable. Risk factors for esophageal fistula were examined with univariate analysis using Fisher exact test and multivariate analysis using logistic regression models.Esophageal fistula was observed in 31 patients (22%). Of these, 6 patients developed fistula during CRT. Median time interval between the date of CRT initiation and that of fistula diagnosis was 100 days (inter quartile range, 45-171). Esophageal stenosis was the only significant risk factor for esophageal fistula formation both in univariate (P = 0.026) and in multivariate analyses (odds ratio, 2.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-5.92, P = 0.025). Other clinicopathological factors, namely treatment arm, age, sex, PS, primary tumor location, T stage, lymph node invasion to adjacent organs, blood cell count, albumin level, and body mass index, were not risk factors fistula formation.Esophageal stenosis was a significant risk factor for esophageal fistula formation in patients treated with CRT for unresectable locally advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

[Two cases of advanced gastric cancer in which paclitaxel proved effective after resistance to docetaxel].

Docetaxel and paclitaxel are demonstrated to be effective for use as salvage therapy for advanced gastric cancer. Both drugs are taxane derivatives but there is only partial cross-resistance between them. For breast cancer and ovarian cancer, there have been several reports that showed docetaxel is effective for paclitaxel-resistant cancer, and vice versa. We experienced two cases of advanced gastric cancer effectively treated by sequential therapy of docetaxel and paclitaxel. One patient was a 43-year-old woman with a type 4 gastric carcinoma, and the other a 51-year-old woman who had suffered a recurrence of the gastric cancer after a total gastrectomy. At first, chemotherapy failed, so we chose docetaxel/high-dose 5-FU (HDFU) for the second-line therapy. After resistance to Docetaxel/HDFU, paclitaxel was effective for third-line treatment of both patients.