RESUMO
Objective To evaluate and compare the clinical outcomes of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with different radiation doses for esophageal carcinoma. Methods 78 cases of esophageal carcinoma receiving primary definitive treatment in our department between May 1 , 2005 to June 31 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients with esophageal carcinoma were divided into high- ( > 50 Gy, median dose of 64 Gy) and low-dose (50 Gy) groups according to their prescription doses (n = 35, 43, respectively). Chemotherapy regimen consisted of cisplatin (75 mg/m2, d1) and 5-FU (500 ~ 600 mg/m2, D2 ~ 5) starting at days 1, 28, 49 and 70 after the beginning of radiotherapy with 2 ~ 4 cycles. The two groups were compared in terms of the early treatment outcomes, the side effects and survival rates. Results The 1,3 and 5-year survival rates for the high and low dose groups were 71.4%, 34.3%, 25.7%and 76.7%, 41.9%, 30.2%, respectively. The median survival time was 19 and 22 months respectively without statistical difference. The high dose group was more likely to have higher incidence rate of grade Ⅲ to Ⅳ myelosuppression in spite of the statistical difference. The high dose group had significantly higher incidence of esophagitis than did the low dose group (P=0.040). Conclusion For esophageal carcinoma with only indications of concurrent chemoradiotherapy, te low dose radiation (50 Gy) has comparable outcomes and less side effects compared with the high dose radiation (>50 Gy).