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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.
Sec. Gastroenterology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1517001
This article is part of the Research Topic Therapeutic Targets and Clinical Management of Intermediate-Advanced Gastroenterological Malignancies View all 7 articles

Postoperative Adjuvant Immunotherapy for Pathological Stage II-IVa Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma After Radical Surgery Does Not Improve Disease-Free Recurrence Rates

Provisionally accepted
hao Xi Xie hao Xi Xie 1,2Hai Zhang Hai Zhang 2Quan hai He Quan hai He 2Meng bo Wu Meng bo Wu 2Ying Chen Ying Chen 2Li Wan Lin Li Wan Lin 2Yi qing Feng Yi qing Feng 2Qing qun Chen Qing qun Chen 1*
  • 1 Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Department of Thoracic Surgery, Gaozhou People’s Hospital Affiliated to Guangdong Medical University, Gaozhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background/Objectives: Postoperative adjuvant therapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) primarily includes chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy. The survival benefits of postoperative adjuvant therapy for R0-resected ESCC remain controversial. Immunotherapy is being gradually applied perioperatively for esophageal cancer, but the efficacy of postoperative immunotherapy in ESCC is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of postoperative immunotherapy for esophageal cancer. Towards this goal, we explored the differences between postoperative immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy alone.Methods: This retrospective study evaluated patients who underwent radical surgery for esophageal cancer at Gaozhou People's Hospital between January 2020 and August 2022 and received postoperative adjuvant therapy. Patients were divided into two groups according to the adjuvant treatment regimens: postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (aCT) and postoperative adjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy (aICT) groups. Data on baseline characteristics, surgical-related indicators, adverse event rates during adjuvant therapy, and 2-year postoperative follow-up were collected for both groups.Results: A total of 76 patients were included: 36 and 40 patients in the aICT and aCT groups, respectively. There were no significant differences in baseline data between the two groups. During the adjuvant treatment period, the incidence of hypothyroidism was significantly higher in the aICT group than in the aCT group (25.0% vs. 2.5%, p=0.007). During the 2-year follow-up, local and recurrence rates were 17.5% and 12.5% in the aCT group and 13.9% and 5.6% in the aICT group, respectively, showing no significant difference between the two groups (p=0.489).For patients with pathologically confirmed locally advanced ESCC after surgery, postoperative immunotherapy did not confer better disease-free recurrence rates compared to postoperative adjuvant therapy. Nonetheless, with research advancements, the role of immunotherapy in the treatment of ESCC is likely to expand, offering new hope for these patients.

    Keywords: adjuvant, chemotherapy, esophageal cancer, Immunotherapy, disease-free recurrence rates

    Received: 25 Oct 2024; Accepted: 28 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Xie, Zhang, He, Wu, Chen, Lin, Feng and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Qing qun Chen, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

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