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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2010; 16(30): 3793-3803
Published online Aug 14, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i30.3793
Neoadjuvant treatment of esophageal cancer
Nicholas P Campbell, Victoria M Villaflor
Nicholas P Campbell, Victoria M Villaflor, Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
Author contributions: Both authors contributed equally to the research and writing of this article.
Correspondence to: Victoria M Villaflor, MD, Assistant Professor, Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, 5841 S Maryland MC 2115, Chicago, IL 60637, United States. vvillafl@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Telephone: +1-773-7022825 Fax: +1-773-8341798
Received: April 24, 2010
Revised: June 7, 2010
Accepted: June 14, 2010
Published online: August 14, 2010
Abstract

The management of esophageal cancer has been evolving over the past 30 years. In the United States, multimodality treatment combining chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) prior to surgical resection has come to be accepted by many as the standard of care, although debate about its overall effect on survival still exists, and rightfully so. Despite recent improvements in detection and treatment, the overall survival of patients with esophageal cancer remains lower than most solid tumors, which highlights why further advances are so desperately needed. The aim of this article is to provide a complete review of the history of esophageal cancer treatment with the addition of chemotherapy, RT, and more recently, targeted agents to the surgical management of resectable disease.

Keywords: Esophageal cancer; Multimodality therapy; Neoadjuvant therapy; Chemotherapy; Radiotherapy; Targeted agents; Disease management