Postoperative radiotherapy for the young–old patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A 2-center experience

This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the efficacy and safety of esophagectomy and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) for patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC) in the young–old (aged between 65 and 75 years). The clinical data of 166 young–old patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy and PORT from May 2004 to May 2018 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and The PLA Cancer Center, Jinling Hospital were analyzed. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). The log-rank method was used to test the differences. The Cox regression model was used for the multivariate prognostic analysis. The follow-up rate was 98.5%, and the median follow-up time was 41.2 months. The whole 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 92.0%, 69.3%, and 58.3%, respectively, and the median OS was 64.7 months (95% CI, 58.3–71.1). The median DFS was 57.9 months (95% CI, 47.4–68.4), and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS rates were 84.8%, 61.5%, and 44.6%, respectively. The median LRFS was 60.8 months (95% CI, 50.5–71.0), and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year LRFS rates were 85.8%, 64.94%, and 53.9%, respectively. The median DMFS was 65.0 months (95% CI, 60.6–69.6), and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year DMFS rates were 91.9%, 77.0%, and 67.5%, respectively. Pathological T staging, lymph node metastasis, pathologic staging, and Karnofsk Performance Status (KPS) were the main factors affecting prognosis. In addition, T staging, lymph node metastasis are also independent prognostic factors. Little severe toxicity was observed. The result indicates that PORT for TESCC patients who can tolerate surgery is safe in the young–old. The efficacy is similar to that of previous patients including younger populations. Pathological T and N stage are major factors that affect prognosis. Concurrent chemotherapy may not improve the survival of the young–old patients undergoing postoperative radiotherapy.