Long-term outcomes of combined endoscopic resection and chemoradiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with submucosal invasion.

Abstract Background For esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with submucosal (SM) invasion, surgery is the standard treatment. Definitive chemoradiotherapy (D-CRT) is a less invasive alternative option, but sometimes results in locoregional failure. Aim To examine whether endoscopic resection for primary lesion removal combined with chemoradiotherapy (ER-CRT) reduces locoregional failure rates in cases of ESCC with SM invasion. Methods We retrospectively compared clinical outcomes between ER-CRT and D-CRT in patients diagnosed with ESCC with SM invasion between 2003 and 2014. Twenty-one patients underwent ER-CRT based on a pathological diagnosis, and 43 patients underwent D-CRT based on a clinical diagnosis. Results Locoregional failure developed in 26% of patients in the D-CRT group, and in no patients in the ER-CRT group ( p p Conclusion ER-CRT is a safe and effective treatment strategy and can be considered as a new minimally invasive treatment option for patients with ESCC with SM invasion.