Multimodality Therapy Is Recommended for Limited-Stage Combined Small-Cell Esophageal Carcinoma

Abstract

Background and aim: Limited-stage combined small cell esophageal carcinoma (LS-C-SCEC) is a rare, poorly understood, underdiagnosed disease, with components of both small cell esophageal cancer and non-small cell esophageal cancer. We investigated the optimal treatment strategy and prognostic factors in patients with LS-C-SCEC. Patients and methods: LS-C-SCEC patients included in the analysis (from our hospital and the literature) were treated between January 1966 and December 2013. Patient treatment strategies included surgery (S), chemotherapy (CT), and radiation therapy (RT). The primary end point was overall survival (OS); the secondary end points included tumor complete response rates, patterns of failure, and toxicity. Kaplan-Meier curves were compared with the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine prognosticators for OS.

Chemotherapy Plus Radiotherapy Versus Radiotherapy in Patients With Small Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus: A SEER Database Analysis

“…Most SCCE patients receive radiotherapy. 6 , 7 However, there is little evidence of the effect of chemotherapy in SCCE patients receiving radiotherapy, and therefore this combination is still controversial. 6 , 8 This study retrieved SCCE patient data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and investigated the chemotherapeutic efficacy on the long-term prognosis of SCCE patients receiving radiotherapy.…”