Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin plus vinorelbine versus cisplatin plus fluorouracil for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A matched case-control study

Background: To compare the clinical outcomes of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with cisplatin/vinorelbine versus cisplatin/fluorouracil in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. Methods: Between 2000 and 2012, 279 patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) undergoing neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgery were reviewed. Through a matched case-control study, 57 patients treated with cisplatin/vinorelbine were matched 1:1 to patients who received cisplatin/fluorouracil according to age, sex, performance status, tumor location, tumor length, and pretreatment TNM stage. Results: Patient and disease-related characteristics were comparable between the two groups. The pathologic complete response (pCR) rate was 47.4% for the cisplatin/vinorelbine group and 28.1% for the cisplatin/fluorouracil group (P = 0.034). Median. overall survival (OS) in the cisplatin/vinorelbine group was significantly better compared with the cisplatin/fluorouracil group (52.8 vs. 25.2 months), with 3-year OS rates of 64.3% vs. 31.3%, respectively (P = 0.001). However, cisplatin/vinorelbine was associated with a significantly higher rate of grade 3-4 leukopenia than cisplatin/fluorouracil (P = 0.03). Multivariate analysis showed that being female, age >= 55 years, pCR after CRT, and chemotherapy with cisplatin/vinorelbine were independent positive prognostic factors for survival. Conclusions: Cisplatin/vinorelbine might lead to a higher pCR rate and better survival outcomes than cisplatin/fluorouracil in esophageal SCC. The incidence of hematologic toxicity is increased with cisplatin/vinorelbine, but is tolerable and manageable. Prospective controlled studies are required to confirm the efficacy of this regimen. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.