Long-term survival of an unresectable upper thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with severe dysphagia following nasogastric tube feeding and camrelizumab-containing therapy: a case report

For upper thoracic esophageal cancer, surgery is difficult, and the clinical effects of chemoradiotherapy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are limited. Camrelizumab is a PD-1 (programmed cell death-1) antibody developed by China. There are few studies on camrelizumab in esophageal cancer. Here, a 66-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with severe dysphagia. He was diagnosed as upper thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The patient received nasogastric tube placement, chemotherapy with docetaxel and nedaplatin, monotherapy with camrelizumab, combination therapy with camrelizumab and docetaxel, maintenance therapy with docetaxel, successively. One year later, complete response was observed and the nasogastric tube was removed. The progression-free survival (PFS) exceeded 28 months. The patient is still being followed up. In this paper, temporary nasogastric tube feeding not only provided nutrients safely, but also won the time for immunotherapy to work. Camrelizumab-containing therapy achieved complete response with long-term survival in unresectable upper thoracic ESCC patients. Comprehensive therapy regimens involved with nasogastric tube feeding and camrelizumab-containing therapy are effective and safe in unresectable upper thoracic ESCC patients with severe dysphagia.