NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY WITH CYTOSINE-ARABINOSIDE BY CONTINUOUS INFUSION AND CISPLATIN FOR RESECTABLE SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA OF THE ESOPHAGUS

The combination of cisplatin and cytosine arabinoside has been shown in experimental models to be synergistic. We conducted a pilot study of cytosine arabinoside and cisplatin in unresectable or metastatic cancer of the esophagus in five patients and found significant activity, also on visceral metastasis. Therefore, we decided to examine this combination in the neoadjuvant setting. Since January 1989, eight patients with squamous cell carcinoma esophageal cancer were treated with two cycles of cytosine arabinoside (50 mg/m2) by continuous infusion for 4 days and by cisplatin (100 mg/m2) on the 5th day. Their ages ranged from 54-79 years. One patient had Stage I, three had Stage II, and four had Stage III disease. Responses assessed by endoscopy and computed tomographic (CT) scan prior to surgery were three with partial response, three with minor response, and two with no response. Only six patients were surgically resectable after chemotherapy. Toxicity consisted of grade 3 (one patient) and grade 4 (two patients) neutropenia, grade 3 (three patients) anemia, and grade 3 (two patients) and grade 4 (three patients) thrombocytopenia. All patients had subjective improvement of dysphagia 4 weeks after chemotherapy. Median survival of the whole group was 7.5 months. We concluded that there was no evidence of synergy of these drugs given in this manner in esophageal carcinoma since the response rate was no different from that achieved with cisplatin alone.