ABSTRACT
Objective: This study was performed to analyze the feasibility of elective nodal irradiation (ENI) for early-stage esophageal carcinoma (EEC), evaluate the curative effect of radiation therapy for EEC, and determine the causes of treatment failure. Methods:Data were collected from 123 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma of clinical T1-2 N0-1 M0 stage. Patients were divided into two groups based on different types of radiation therapy. Among the 123 patients, 102 underwent involved field irradiation (IFI), whereas 21 received ENI. A comparative analysis of patients in the two groups was conducted. Results:In 123 patients, the one-, three-, and five-year overall survival rates were 87.8%, 47.2%, and 36.6%, respectively. By contrast, the one-, three-, and five-year local control rates were 89.4%, 67.5%, and 48.8%, respectively. After comparing the one-, three-, and five-year survival rates in the ENI patients (i.e., 90.5%, 47.6%, and 42.9%, respectively) with those in the IFI patients (i.e., 86.3%, 49.0%, and 35.2%, respectively), no significant difference was found (χ2=0.290, P=0.588 8). The results indicate that ENI possibly decreased nodal metastases (χ2=5.778, P=0.016). Conclusion:Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy is one of the best therapeutic regimens of radiation for EEC. ENI is possibly effective for preventing regional nodal metastasis. Whether ENI leads to an improved overall survival needs further investigation.