Secondary radiotherapy for recurrent esophageal carcinoma after radical radiotherapy in 32 patients

The objective of this study was to investigate therapeutic effects of hyperfracted and 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (H-CRT) in recurrent esophageal carcinoma after radical radiotherapy. From May 2000 to March 2005, 32 patients with esophageal carcinoma who developed regional recurrence after radical radiotherapy were analyzed. All patients were given H-CRT. The overall response was 81.3% with CR in 19 patients (59.4%), PR in 7 patients (21.9%) and SD and PD in 3 patients (9.3%). The 6 month, 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rates were 65.6%(21/32), 53.3%(16/30), 28.6%(8/28) and 14.3%(3/21) respectively. Conclusion: In patients with recurrent esophageal carcinoma after radical radiotherapy, H-CRT is an alternative effective method.