High pathologic complete remission rate from induction docetaxel, platinum and fluorouracil (DCF) combination chemotherapy for locally advanced esophageal and junctional cancer

Adding docetaxel to the cisplatin/5-fluorouracil induction regimen for locally advanced esophageal and GEJ cancer may increase the pathologic complete remission (pCR) rate, leading to an improved outcome. Institutional ethics committee approved the protocol of retrospective analysis of patients with locally advanced esophageal and GEJ carcinoma, who received 2–3 cycles of docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) induction chemotherapy with primary growth factors and prophylactic antibiotics. Following chemotherapy, a restaging scan was performed. If disease was deemed resectable, surgery was performed. Between February 2010 and October 2013, 31 patients received induction DCF. Ninety-four percent patients had squamous histology. Response rate was 81 %: complete remission (CR)—23 % and partial remission—58 %. Eighty-seven percent patients underwent surgery; R0 resection rate was 67 %. pCR occurred in 26 %. Common grade 3/4 toxicities included anemia—23 %, neutropenia—42 %, febrile neutropenia—39 %, diarrhea—39 %, hyponatremia—55 % and hypokalemia—39 %. There were no toxic deaths. At a median follow-up of 34 months (95 % CI 31.3–36.6), estimated median progression-free survival (PFS) was 27 months (95 % CI 11–39) and the overall survival (OS) at 1 year, 2 years and 3 years was 80, 68 and 55 %, respectively. Patients who attained pCR had a significant longer PFS and OS; median PFS and OS were not reached in patients with pCR and were 15 months (95 %CI 8.4–21.5 months), P = 0.012 and 25 months (95 %CI 10.3–39.7), P = 0.023, respectively, in patients who did not attain a pCR. DCF induction chemotherapy leads to pCR of 26 %, which rivals that obtained from chemoradiotherapy. Toxicity is substantial but manageable with adequate supportive care.