PURPOSE: To assess the safety and efficacy of external beam radiotherapy for elderly patients with esophageal cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A trial testing external beam radiotherapy (66 Gy within 6.5 weeks) as a single-modality treatment was performed for biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus clinically staged as Stage I and IIA (T1-T3N0M0, International Union Against Cancer, 1987) in patients aged > or =80 years. RESULTS: From January 1999 through December 2002, 51 evaluable patients (35 men and 16 women) with a median age of 83 years (range, 80-91 years) were enrolled from 22 institutions. Of the 51 patients, 18 (35%) had Stage T1 and 33 (65%) had Stage T2-T3 disease. Radiotherapy could be completed in 47 patients (92%) within 43-58 days (median, 49). The actuarial incidence of Grade 3 or worse cardiopulmonary complications at 3 years was 26%, with 3 early deaths, and correlated significantly with the size of the anteroposterior radiotherapy portals. The median survival time and overall survival rate at 3 years was 30 months and 39% (95% confidence interval, 25-52%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of high-dose radiotherapy in octogenarians are comparable to those in younger patients, but meticulous treatment planning and quality control is required.
PURPOSE: To assess the safety and efficacy of external beam radiotherapy for elderly patients with esophageal cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A trial testing external beam radiotherapy (66 Gy within 6.5 weeks) as a single-modality treatment was performed for biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus clinically staged as Stage I and IIA (T1-T3N0M0, International Union Against Cancer, 1987) in patients aged > or =80 years. RESULTS: From January 1999 through December 2002, 51 evaluable patients (35 men and 16 women) with a median age of 83 years (range, 80-91 years) were enrolled from 22 institutions. Of the 51 patients, 18 (35%) had Stage T1 and 33 (65%) had Stage T2-T3 disease. Radiotherapy could be completed in 47 patients (92%) within 43-58 days (median, 49). The actuarial incidence of Grade 3 or worse cardiopulmonary complications at 3 years was 26%, with 3 early deaths, and correlated significantly with the size of the anteroposterior radiotherapy portals. The median survival time and overall survival rate at 3 years was 30 months and 39% (95% confidence interval, 25-52%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of high-dose radiotherapy in octogenarians are comparable to those in younger patients, but meticulous treatment planning and quality control is required.
Authors: Benoîte Méry; Alexander T Falk; Avi Assouline; Jane-Chloé Trone; Jean-Baptiste Guy; Romain Rivoirard; Pierre Auberdiac; Julien Langrand Escure; Coralie Moncharmont; Guillaume Moriceau; Hweej Almokhles; Guy de Laroche; Cécile Pacaut; Aline Guillot; Cyrus Chargari; Nicolas Magné Journal: Int Urol Nephrol Date: 2015-05-17 Impact factor: 2.370