Paclitaxel and carboplatin versus cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil in concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer

Background/Aim: Cisplatin with 5-fluouracil (Cis/5Fu) and paclitaxel with carboplatin (Pac/Car) are common regimens used in concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer (EC). Here, we aimed to compare the survival outcomes and treatment-related toxicities between these regimens in neoadjuvant CCRT in patients with locally advanced EC. Patients and Methods: One hundred and thirty-six patients with locally advanced EC (98% squamous cell carcinoma) were prospectively recruited between 2016 and 2017 in a nonrandomized manner. Patients were categorized into two groups according to the chemotherapeutic agents administered (Pac/Car group, n=87; Cis/5Fu group, n=47) in CCRT to compare the survival outcome and severe adverse event (sAE) incidence. Results: Forty-two patients (85.7%) and 80 patients (91.4%) in the Cis/5Fu and Pac/Car groups completed preplanned CCRT (p=0.26), respectively. The Cis/5Fu group presented a higher incidence of non-hematological sAE than the Pac/Car group (69.45% vs. 51.7%, p=0.049). Patients in the Pac/Car group showed a higher rate of surgical resection than those in the Cis/5Fu group (49.4% vs. 22.4%, p<0.001). After a median follow-up duration of 22.0 months (range=1.9-31.8), the 2-year survival rate was 56.9% for patients in the Pac/Car group and 28.7% for the Cis/5Fu group. The hazard ratio (HR) of overall survival was 0.45 (95%CI=0.28-0.72, p=0.001) in the comparison between the groups. Conclusion: Overall, neoadjuvant CCRT with Pac/Car is associated with a better survival outcome, higher surgical resection rate, and better safety profiles than Cis/5Fu in patients with locally advanced EC.