Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced ESCC

This retrospective cohort study was approved by MacKay Memorial Hospital Institutional Review Board, approval number 21MMHIS178e. Informed consent from participants was not required in this IRB-approved study. Patients with pathologically confirmed, non-metastatic, locally advanced (stage II, III, or IVa) ESCC who completed neoCRT followed by surgery were included. However, patients who died within 3 months of the surgery were excluded from the survival analysis. Cancer staging was performed according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition for both clinical and pathological staging. The clinical staging procedures included physical examinations, panendoscopic ultrasound, chest computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography, and bronchoscopy as needed. Feeding jejunostomy was also deployed to maintain enteric nutrition, although this was not mandatory. After surgery, patients were followed up with chest CT scans every 3–4 months during the first 2 years, and every 6 months during years 3–5. Additional imaging studies were arranged according to clinical necessity. Once the disease recurred, its management was at the discretion of the treating physician and was based on the best patient benefits.