Radiation therapy is one of the standard therapeutic modalities for esophageal cancer, achieving its main antitumor efficacy through DNA damage. However, accumulating evidence shows that radiotherapy can substantially alter the tumor microenvironment, particularly with respect to its effects on immune cells. We hypothesized that the immune response elicited by radiotherapy may be as important a...

Brain metastasis from esophageal carcinoma is rare. In our center, among 301 cases of esophageal cancer referred for radiotherapy during a 14-year period, brain metastasis from esophageal carcinoma was detected in one case. An unusual case of esophageal carcinoma that presented with brain metastasis is reported.

Abstract Background: Radiation induced esophageal toxicity is a primary cause of treatment interruptions in the radiotherapy of lung cancer, for which there are no clear predictive factors. This study attempts to identify risk factors associated with the development of severe radiation induced esophageal toxicity using clinical and dosimetric parameters. Methods: We reviewed the medical records...

BACKGROUND Chemo-radiotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, is the most frequent treatment for patients with esophageal cancer. In the process of radiotherapy, the radiosensitive cancer will become a radio-resistant one. METHODS In order to detect the chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity in radio-resistant cancer cells and improve the therapy efficiency, we firstly established...

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common malignancy worldwide, with more than 480,000 new patients diagnosed annually. The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma is increasing, whereas the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma has not changed. According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) statistics, the 5-year survival rate for esophageal carcinoma based on stage at diag...

The limited effectiveness of chemotherapy in esophageal cancer used to palliate metastatic disease or to combine with radiotherapy in locally advanced disease has prompted the evaluation of new systemic agents. Irinotecan (CPT-11, Camptosar) has shown promising activity in a number of gastrointestinal cancers, including esophageal cancer. The phase II evaluation of the combination of weekly iri...

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect on radiosensitivity of arsenic trioxide (As₂0₃) in conjunction with hyperthermia on the esophageal carcinoma EC-1 cell line. METHOD Inhibition of EC-1 cell proliferation at different concentrations of As₂0₃ was assessed using the methyl thiazolyl blue colorimetric method (MTT method), with calculation of IC₅₀ value and choice of 20% of the IC₅₀ as the experimen...

BACKGROUND To investigate the relationship between pathologic tumor response to concurrent chemo- radiotherapy and variation of serum VEGF in patients with esophageal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty six patients with esophageal cancer who were treated with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy were enrolled. Endoscopic and pathologic examination was conducted before and four weeks afterwards. Ser...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcome of radiotherapy for recurrent esophageal cancer after surgery and to determine the prognostic factors. METHODS From 1987 through 2002, 82 patients treated with radiotherapy for loco-regional recurrences of esophageal cancer after surgery were retrospectively reviewed. The stage at initial surgery was I in 16, II in 41, III or higher in 24 and unknown in 1. Th...