Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy With Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and 5-Fluorouracil (DCF-RT) vs. Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil (CF-RT) for Patients With Unresectable Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer in a Real-world Clinical Setting

Abstract

Background/Aim: We compared the outcome of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil as combination chemoradiotherapy (DCF-RT) for unresectable locally advanced thoracic esophageal cancer (EC) with that of cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as combination chemoradiotherapy (CF-RT) in clinical settings. Patients and Methods: Seventy-three patients with unresectable locally advanced thoracic EC were included in this study. CF (n=38) consisted of intravenous CDDP at 70 mg/m² (day 1) and 5-FU at 700 mg/m² (days 1 to 4), repeated every four weeks for two cycles. DCF (n=35) consisted of intravenous docetaxel at 50 mg/m² (day 1), CDDP at 60 mg/m² (day 1), and 5-FU at 600 mg/m² (days 1 to 4), repeated every four weeks for two cycles. Patients were irradiated with 60 Gy in 30 fractions. Results: The overall complete response (CR) rate of DCF-RT was significantly higher than that of CF-RT (36.7% vs. 3.7%, p=0.003). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate of DCF-RT was significantly higher than that of CF-RT (32.8% vs. 8.5%, p<0.001). Conclusion: DCF-RT demonstrated a higher CR rate and OS for unresectable locally advanced thoracic EC than CF-RT.