The survival outcomes of neoadjuvant sintilimab combined with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Neoadjuvant programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitor combined with chemotherapy has been reported to improve the pathological response of locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but the systematic report on survival follow-up is quite few. This study we will report the survival follow-up outcomes after a median follow-up of 21.1 months.

Methods: This was a real-world retrospective study. Locally advanced ESCC patients treated with neoadjuvant sintilimab combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel and nedaplatin followed by surgery and completed at least 1-year follow-up were reviewed. The primary outcome was disease-free survival (DFS) at 24 months. The secondary outcome was overall survival (OS) at 24 months.

Results: Ninety eligible patients were included in the analysis between July 2019 and October 2021. The median number of neoadjuvant cycles was 3 (range 2-4). All patients achieved R0 resection. With a median follow-up of 21.1 months (range 14.0-39.0), the median DFS and median OS had not reached, 2-year DFS rate was 78.3% (95%CI 68.8%-89.1%) and 2-years OS rate was 88.0% (95%CI 80.6%-96.0%). Postoperative pathological stage, pCR, MPR, tumor down-staging were significantly correlated with favorable survival outcome. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis identified cycle number of neoadjuvant treatment as independent predictor of DFS.

Conclusion: Our results preliminarily show a survival benefit of neoadjuvant sintilimab combined with chemotherapy in locally advanced ESCC.