[Timing of esophagectomy in multimodal therapy of esophageal cancer: Impact of time interval between neoadjuvant therapy and surgery on outcome and response].

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy [n(R)CT] has become the standard of care in the multimodal therapy concept for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer; however, optimal timing of surgery is not clearly defined.
OBJECTIVES: The study analyzed whether the length of the interval between completion of n(R)CT and surgery can affect the postoperative outcome, tumor response and long-term survival.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 106 patients with adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, treated between 2006 and 2013, were included in this study. On the basis of the median time interval to surgery, patients were divided into two groups [group A ≤ 40 days (n = 54) and group B > 40 days (n = 52)] and compared concerning demographic data, preoperative risk scores, morbidity, outcome, tumor response and long-term survival.
RESULTS: The groups were comparable in terms of demographics, preoperative condition of the patients, complications and outcome; however, group A showed a trend towards a higher mortality risk as preoperatively assessed by the physiological and operative severity score for the enumeration of mortality and morbidity in esophagogastric surgery patients (O-POSSUM) (p = 0.064) and group B showed a trend towards a higher rate of complete responders (p = 0.097).
CONCLUSION: Concerning perioperative morbidity and mortality, delayed surgery after n(R)CT showed no benefit for the patient's outcome; however, the rate of complete tumor response was higher in patients with a time interval of more than 40 days, although this did not influence long-term survival or recurrence rates.