Objectives: The aim of this study was to report the management of 19 patients with recurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after surgical treatment.
Patients-methods: Nineteen patients with loco-regional recurrent invasion (n = 13) or metastasis (n = 6) of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were included. Four of the 13 patients with loco-regional recurrent invasion had tracheal involvement. The treatment of the recurrence was a combined radiochemotherapy (n = 12) for loco-regional recurrent invasion in 11 cases and for metastasis in 1 case, associated with a tracheal prosthesis in 1 patient. The other treatments were chemotherapy alone (n = 5), esophageal prosthesis (n = 1) and surgical treatment (n = 1).
Results: There were 7 objective responses among the 12 patients treated with combined radiochemotherapy and none in the group treated with chemotherapy alone. Grade 3-4 toxicity was noticed in 2 cases (severe mucositis). Survival rate of the 19 patients was 52.6% at 1 year and 13.1% at 2 years; it was linked with general health (P = 0.09) and with tracheal involvement (P = 0.04). Survival rate of the 12 patients treated by combined radiochemotherapy was higher: 66% at 1 year and 22.2% at 2 years (median survival time = 16 months).
Conclusion: Active medical treatment of recurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by combined radiochemotherapy can provide a median survival time of 16 months, with a moderate toxicity.