Esophageal stenosis as an independent factor of poor prognosis in patients with ESCC treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy

Aim: To evaluate the clinical outcome and elucidate the prognostic factors in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Patients: Data for patients newly diagnosed with ESCC receiving definitive CRT at our institution between 2012 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 201 patients were included. Severe stenosis after radiotherapy was an independent factor relevant to prognosis. Maximal esophageal wall thickness, short-term responses, severe stenosis at diagnosis and a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were independent risk factors for the occurrence of severe stenosis after radiotherapy. Conclusion: Severe stenosis after radiotherapy is a useful predictive indicator in patients with ESCC receiving definitive CRT. Further studies are needed to verify these findings. Plain language summaryThis study aimed to identify valuable factors as predictive diagnostic markers for patients diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma receiving chemoradiotherapy. In this retrospective study with patients, we have found that severe stenosis after radiotherapy has an independent predictive value for survival. Survival was also associated with maximal esophageal wall thickness, short-term responses, severe stenosis at diagnosis and a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Stenosis could be used as a parameter to predict survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients after chemoradiotherapy.