Targeting therapy for esophageal cancer in patients aged 70 and over

Residual Esophageal Cancer after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Frequently Involves the Mucosa and Submucosa

“…Finally, a recent study by Furlong et al 43 reported on their favorable results with a wait-and-see approach for high-risk patients with esophageal cancer, with a complete clinical response after nCRT. Taken together, these results strengthen our willingness to formally test a wait-and-see approach in patients with esophageal cancer otherwise fit to undergo resection.…”

Patients' preferences for treatment after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for oesophageal cancer

“…After nCRT plus surgery, about one‐third of all patients (49 per cent of patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 23 per cent of those with adenocarcinoma) have a pathologically complete response in the resection specimen, meaning that no viable tumour cells can be found. Therefore, an active surveillance approach could be applied in selected patients with both histological subtypes. During active surveillance after nCRT, clinical investigations are performed to detect residual or recurrent cancer.…”

Surveillance versus esophagectomy in esophageal cancer patients with a clinical complete response after induction chemoradiation

“…Survival was similar for those undergoing an operation vs. surveillance: the whole cohort with cCRs had a median survival of 47 months (61 months for those undergoing an upfront surgery and 29 months for those who had a salvage operation) versus 46 months for the subset that did not undergo resection. Despite this being a very small retrospective study subject to treatment selection bias, there is a suggestion that overall there may not be a survival advantage to a non-selective progression to surgery in this particular population (42).…”