Background/aims: Carboplatin is a less nephrotoxic analog of cisplatin with a significant effect against a variety of malignancies including carcinoma of the esophagus. Furthermore, the supra-additive effect between carboplatin and radiation has been reported in both clinical and experimental studies.
Methods and materials: Seven patients with carcinoma of the esophagus underwent a combined therapy of carboplatin (30 mg/m2, total 1500-2000 mg) and radiation (1.6 Gy/day, five days/week, total 50-70 Gy).
Results: Six patients had a complete tumor remission while in the remaining patient a partial response was observed. In five of these six cases, no evidence of recurrence has been recognized at 9-13 months after the treatment. Two patients survived without any evidence of recurrent disease 43 and 57 months after the initiation of the treatment. The major side effects were leukopenia and thrombocytopenia, which were grade II to IV but not fatal. However, no significant renal toxicity, gastrointestinal disorders nor liver toxicity were recognized.
Conclusions: These data thus indicate the clinical utility of the combined therapy of radiation and carboplatin for patients with carcinoma of the esophagus.