Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify the outcomes of preoperative CDDP/5-FU chemotherapy (FP therapy) followed by surgery for patients with clinical Stage II/III thoracic esophageal cancer.
Methods: Seventeen patients with clinical Stage II/III thoracic esophageal cancer who underwent FP therapy followed by esophagectomy were investigated with regard to the perioperative clinical results and postoperative outcomes.
Results: Grade 3 or 4 adverse effects associated with FP therapy were recognized in 2 of the 17 (11.8%) cases, and 16 patients completed 2 cycles of FP therapy (94.1%). Complications after surgery occurred in 7 cases (41.2%). There were 7 patients with postoperative recurrences (41.2%), 6 of whom had clinical Stage III disease. Similarly, 4 out of the 5 patients who died of cancer had clinical Stage III disease. All recurrences and cancer-related deaths were recognized in histological effectiveness of Grade 0/1 cases.
Conclusions: Preoperative FP therapy was found to be safe for patients with clinical Stage II/III thoracic esophageal cancer. However, the treatment seemed to be less beneficial for Stage III patients than for Stage II patients, thus suggesting that a more powerful preoperative treatment may be necessary for clinical Stage III patients.