[Results of preoperative radio-chemotherapy in locally advanced squamous epithelial cancer of the esophagus].

In a 4-year period (1988-1991) 122 patients with a squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus were studied prospectively and analysed. 64 patients of them could be primary resected (primary resectability rate 52%), 36 patients were in general inoperable and 22 patients had an advanced stage of cancer with local inoperability. Due to a preoperative combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy 16 of the 22 patients with local inoperability had a clinical remission of the tumor (73%). 11 patients (50%) showed a histological verified down staging and 3 cases of them a complete remission (no primary tumor was found, no infiltration of the regional lymphnodes and no metastatic disease). Curative resection was possible in 14 of 16 patients with clinical remission (2 patients refused surgical treatment). So the resectability rate now increases from 52 to 63%. We conclude that there was no increased rate of postoperative complications or mortality in the combined radio-/chemotherapy group compared with the primary resected patients.