Phase II Trial of Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Concurrent With Chemotherapy for Postoperative Node-Positive Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of intensity-modulated radiotherapy concurrent with weekly docetaxel in patients with node-positive esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after radical surgery. Between January 2011 and December 2013, a total of 46 eligible patients were enrolled. All patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy concurrent with weekly docetaxel (20 mg/m(2)). Patients were treated 5 days per week at 2.0 Gy/day. The total dose of external radiotherapy given was 50 Gy in 25 fractions. The primary endpoints included treatment completion and safety. The secondary endpoint was to assess whether the approach would achieve a 1-year survival rate of 80% or higher. The median duration of follow-up was 18 months (range: 2–41 months). The 1-year overall survival and progression-free survival rate were 91.2% and 80.4%, respectively. The major acute toxicities were esophagitis and neutropenia. While most cases were grade 1 or 2, grade 3 neutropenia and esophagitis were observed in seven (15.2%) and five patients (10.9%), respectively. The toxicities were controllable and transitory. There were no unexpected cases of serious adverse events or treatment-related deaths. Our study confirms that intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concurrent weekly docetaxel is an effective and safe treatment in postoperative node-positive patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The identified treatment regimen is of interest for a phase III trial.