Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Patonay, Péter
• Naszály, Attila
• Mayer, Arpád

Titel

Simultaneous radiochemotherapy and endoluminal HDR brachytherapy in esophageal cancer

Ist Teil von

• Strahlentherapie und Onkologie, 2007-02, Vol.183 (2), p.94

Ort / Verlag

Germany

Erscheinungsjahr

2007

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• To study efficacy and toxicity of radiochemotherapy in esophageal cancer including initial endoluminal high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT). Between 01/1995 and 06/2005, 61 patients with esophageal cancer were treated preoperatively with definitive and palliative intent. Treatment started with intraluminal HDR-BT for recanalization of the esophagus (single fraction size of 8 Gy in 0.5 cm depth, three times, q7d) followed by external-beam radiation therapy (50 Gy total dose, 5 x 2 Gy/week, 25 fractions in 5 weeks). Chemotherapy was started simultaneously with external irradiation (three courses of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil, q21d). Swallowing function improved in 55/61 patients (dysphagia classification according to the RTOG), and worsened in 6/61 patients, respectively. Median duration of symptomatic improvement was 11 months, median follow-up 12 months (range 3-68 months). Following simultaneous radiochemotherapy, tumor resectability was achieved in 7/25 patients of the neoadjuvant group, and the histological specimen showed complete remission in 6/7 patients. These results indicate a favorable effect of simultaneous radiochemotherapy starting with endoluminal HDR-afterloading-( AL-)BT in esophageal cancer.