UNLABELLED: Overall prognosis of adenocarcinomas of the gastro-esophageal junction remains poor as most patients present with advanced disease. AIM: To examine the effects of preoperative chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced adenocarcinomas of the gastro-esophageal junction. METHODS: Forty-two consecutive patients received a course of radiotherapy (45 Gy, administred in 25 fractions) with concurrent infusion of 5-Fluorouracil and cisplatin, followed by surgery. Endoscopic ultrasonography was used to assess response to chemoradiotherapy. A transhiatal or a transthoracic approach was used for surgical resection. Tumor size, node invasion and margins of resection were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients underwent subsequent surgery and complete resection (RO) was achieved in 34. Operative mortality was 13.2% (5/38). A histological complete response was observed in 6 patients. Median survival was 23 months (range: 15-31) and median disease-free survival was 19 months (range: 15-23). At one and two years, 70.7 and 45.6% of the patients were alive, respectively. The pTNM status, node involvement and tumor size were predictors of survival. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative chemoradiotherapy is effective in patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the gastro-esophageal junction, resulting in high resection rates. However it seems to increase operative morbidity and mortality. Certain prognostic factors such as resection margins, need to be examined in further detail.
UNLABELLED: Overall prognosis of adenocarcinomas of the gastro-esophageal junction remains poor as most patients present with advanced disease. AIM: To examine the effects of preoperative chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced adenocarcinomas of the gastro-esophageal junction. METHODS: Forty-two consecutive patients received a course of radiotherapy (45 Gy, administred in 25 fractions) with concurrent infusion of 5-Fluorouracil and cisplatin, followed by surgery. Endoscopic ultrasonography was used to assess response to chemoradiotherapy. A transhiatal or a transthoracic approach was used for surgical resection. Tumor size, node invasion and margins of resection were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients underwent subsequent surgery and complete resection (RO) was achieved in 34. Operative mortality was 13.2% (5/38). A histological complete response was observed in 6 patients. Median survival was 23 months (range: 15-31) and median disease-free survival was 19 months (range: 15-23). At one and two years, 70.7 and 45.6% of the patients were alive, respectively. The pTNM status, node involvement and tumor size were predictors of survival. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative chemoradiotherapy is effective in patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the gastro-esophageal junction, resulting in high resection rates. However it seems to increase operative morbidity and mortality. Certain prognostic factors such as resection margins, need to be examined in further detail.
Authors: Mi Sun Kim; Joon Seok Lim; Woo Jin Hyung; Yong Chan Lee; Sun Young Rha; Ki Chang Keum; Woong Sub Koom Journal: World J Gastroenterol Date: 2015-03-07 Impact factor: 5.742