18F FDG-PET/CT evaluation of histological response after neoadjuvant treatment in patients with cancer of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction.

Background: In most parts of the world, curatively intended treatment for esophageal cancer includes neoadjuvant therapy, either with chemoradiotherapy or chemotherapy alone, followed by esophagectomy. Currently 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is used for preoperative disease staging, but is not well established in the evaluation of neoadjuvant treatment.

Purpose: To evaluate changes in PET parameters in relation to the histological primary tumor response in the surgical specimen in patients randomized to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or chemotherapy.