Chemotherapy-induced toxicities and treatment efficacy in advanced esophageal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery

摘要

Background Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by surgery is a promising treatment strategy for advanced esophageal cancer. Response to NACT is a strong predictor for prognosis, but no studies have examined the relationship between toxicity and efficacy of NACT.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the treatment results of 105 patients with clinically node-positive esophageal cancer treated with NACT followed by surgery and examined the correlation between adverse events and treatment efficacy. Chemotherapeutic response was evaluated by the reduction rate of the primary tumor in CT scans. Adverse events were graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3. Results The clinical response rate was 40%, and responders displayed a significantly better survival than nonresponders. Major adverse events (grade 3 or 4) during NACT were leukopenia (24.8%), neutropenia (42.9%), nausea (30.5%), and mucositis (27.9%). There were no chemotherapy-related deaths.