Salvage Esophagectomy for Residual Tumor After Definitive Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Invading the Neighboring Organs: Is it a Feasible Choice?

Excerpt

Treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer invading the neighboring organs is challenging. Among the two major histologic subtypes, adenocarcinoma, most often located in the lower esophagus, can invade the descending aorta, lung, and pericardium. Meanwhile, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), located predominantly in the middle and upper esophagus, is more likely to invade the trachea, bronchus, and aortic arch. For patients who present with extension into such vital organs, definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) is indicated as the standard choice. For those with SCC, a complete response (CR) is often achieved, even among those with initially unresectable disease. This leads to the ongoing discussion of whether there is room for surgical treatment of residual tumor after dCRT. …