Background: The factors associated with the clinical results of preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for esophageal cancer and its effect on postoperative complications are still unclear.
Patients and methods: The 686 patients with esophageal cancer were classified into 376 who received preoperative CRT (group I) and 310 who received surgery alone (group II).
Results: A multivariate analysis for group I patients revealed pathologically complete response to be a favorable prognostic factor. Preoperative use of cisplatin was significantly associated with pathological effect and patients' prognosis. Both pulmonary complications and anastomotic leakage more frequently developed in group I (16.0 and 27.9%) than in group II (10.0%, p<0.05 and 16.5%, p<0.01, respectively). A multivariate analysis revealed preoperative CRT to be an independent factor of postoperative complications.
Conclusion: Although preoperative CRT for esophageal cancer may be associated with postoperative complications, a pathologically complete response, which is associated with a cisplatin-based regimen, is critical for improving patient prognosis.