Background: Salvage surgery as an additional therapy option is currently discussed for an increasing number of patients with esophageal cancer after definitive radio(chemo)therapy after tumor progression, recurrence or on explicit request of the patient.
Objectives: The objective of this study was an analysis of the surgical option of salvage esophagectomy after definitive radiation in patients with esophageal cancer. Additionally the current literature on this topic was evaluated.
Material and methods: A total of 92 patients with esophageal cancer from a prospective database were included in this study who underwent esophagectomy either after neoadjuvant radio(chemo)therapy (< 50 Gy) or definitive radio(chemo)therapy (> 50 Gy) between 2002 and 2012. The analysis was performed retrospectively.
Results: The median survival of the two groups of patients was not significantly different after initial diagnosis with 24.2 months (95 % CI 0.0-51.93) for patients undergoing definitive radio(chemo)therapy and 30.7 months (95 % CI 9.3-52.2) for patients after neoadjuvant therapy (p = 0.96). Both patient groups showed no differences in pretherapeutic characteristics and response to radio(chemo)therapy. Postoperative complications and perioperative mortality were not different.
Discussion: Salvage esophagectomy is now an additional treatment option after definitive radio(chemo)therapy in patients with esophageal cancer. In preselected patients with tumor recurrence, progression or with a strong wish for surgical therapy, salvage surgery should be discussed in interdisciplinary tumor boards after exclusion of distant metastases.
Keywords: Definitive radiochemotherapy; Esophageal cancer; Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy; Prognosis; Salvage surgery.