Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Surgery Compared with Surgery Alone in Squamous-Cell Cancer of the Esophagus

Esophageal cancer is a highly malignant disease. Data from French tumor registries indicate that five-year overall survival ranges from 2 percent to 8 percent for all stages. 1 – 3 The squamous-cell type predominates, but the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is increasing rapidly. 4 Surgical resection is the standard treatment for early esophageal cancer. 5 During the past decade, outcomes with surgery have improved, as indicated by an increased rate of curative resection, a decreased rate of postoperative death, and better five-year survival. 6 , 7 However, the proportion of patients who survive for five years remains low, ranging from 30 to 50 percent . . .