[Neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery in treatment of advanced esophageal carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the effects of neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery in treatment of advanced esophageal carcinoma.

Methods: Forty-two consecutive patients with locally advanced esophageal carcinoma underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy concurrently. The chemotherapy consisted of intravenous infusion of vinorelbine (25 mg/m(2) per day) on days 1, 8, 22, and 29 or 5-fluorouracil (2.