Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Using Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy in Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Oesophageal Cancers.

Purpose: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has been established as the standard of care for locally advanced oesophageal cancers. Most of the evidences on neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACTRT) comes from the Western world where the predominant histology is adenocarcinoma. This study aimed to study the outcomes of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy using CROSS protocol and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in locally advanced squamous cell oesophageal cancers.

Case presentation: We report a multicentric abdominal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor in a 6-year-old girl who presented with massive abdominal distention. The sheer size of the mass, coupled with multicentric presentation and absent mobility on clinical examination, would have led to a very morbid surgical exploration. This patient was treated with initial chemotherapy, which led to a dramatic response in both symptoms and size of masses, facilitating a complete surgical resection with negligible postoperative morbidity.

Methods: This was a single-institute retrospective analysis utilizing a prospectively collected database where all patients with locally advanced operable oesophageal cancers with squamous histology diagnosed between 2021 and 2022 were screened and included. All patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in accordance with the CROSS protocol with all patients receiving radiotherapy using VMAT technique.

Results: A total of 102 patients with locally advanced oesophageal cancers with squamous histology were included in the study. The median follow-up for the cohort was 29 months. The 3-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local control (LC) were 72%, 59.1%, and 72%, respectively. Pathological complete response was 59.4%. The major Clavien-Dindo classification (≥ class 3) of surgical complications was 32%. Lower incidence of pulmonary (17.7%) and cardiac (5.2%) complications was observed in this cohort.

Conclusions: NACTRT using the CROSS protocol enhances the pathological complete response rates and the survival outcomes in locally advanced oesophageal cancers with squamous histology. The utilization of VMAT has been associated with a reduction in postoperative cardiopulmonary toxicities. However, further prospective randomised studies are required to validate the technique's superiority.