The role of spleen radiomics model for predicting prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving definitive radiotherapy.

Background: The spleen plays an important role in systemic antitumor immune response, but whether spleen imaging features have predictive effect for prognosis and immune status was unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate computed tomography (CT)-based spleen radiomics to predict the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) underwent definitive radiotherapy (dRT) and to try to find its association with systemic immunity.

Methods: This retrospective study included 201 ESCC patients who received dRT.

Abdominal lymph node metastasis in non-surgical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: prognostic significance and a novel staging strategy.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a combination of abdominal lymph node (LN) metastasis and the number of LNs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients to optimize its clinical nodal staging.

Methods: A retrospective study, including a total of 707 ESCC patients treated with definitive radiotherapy, was conducted at two participating institutes. Different combinations of LN variables, including abdominal LN metastasis (R1: no-abdominal LN metastasis; R2: abdominal LN metastasis), were further analyzed to propose a potential revised nodal (rN) staging.

Lymph node metastasis is not associated with survival in patients with clinical stage T4 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy.

Background: Clinical T4 stage (cT4) esophageal tumors are difficult to be surgically resected, and definitive radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) remains the main treatment. The study aims to analyze the association between the status of lymph node (LN) metastasis and survival outcomes in the cT4 stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients that underwent treatment with dCRT or RT.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of 555 ESCC patients treated with dCRT or RT at the Shandong Cancer Hospital and the Liaocheng People's Hospital from 2010 to 2017.

A nomogram for the predicting of survival in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing definitive chemoradiotherapy.

Background: Definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) is widely accepted for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), although the outcomes can vary. Therefore, we aimed to develop a nomogram for the pre-treatment prediction of survival after dCRT for ESCC.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 204 patients (169 patients in a primary cohort and 35 patients in a validation cohort) who received dCRT for ESCC between July 2013 and June 2017.

Low Lymphocyte Count Is Associated With Radiotherapy Parameters and Affects the Outcomes of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients.

Lymphocytes are central players in systemic anti-tumor immune responses. In this study, we aimed to identify the relationship between absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) nadir during definitive radiotherapy (RT) and survival outcomes in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), as well as evaluate the effect of RT parameters on ALC during RT. We retrospectively reviewed 189 patients with stage I-IVA ESCC, who were treated with definitive RT at a single institution between 2012 and 2015.

Clinical response to chemoradiotherapy in esophageal carcinoma is associated with survival and benefit of consolidation chemotherapy.

Purpose: Few studies have reported the impact of the clinical response of patients with Esophageal Carcinoma to chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Our study examines the association between clinical response and pretreatment variables, survival, patterns of failure, and benefit of consolidation chemotherapy in subjects with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients receiving CRT.

Methods: Data from ESCC patients treated at Shandong Cancer Hospital between January 2013 and December 2016 were analyzed retrospectively.

A review of radiation-induced lymphopenia in patients with esophageal cancer: an immunological perspective for radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy is a frequently utilized therapeutic modality in the treatment of esophageal cancer (EC). Even though extensive studies are carried out in radiotherapy for EC, the design of the clinical target volume and the radiation dose is not satisfactorily uniform. Radiotherapy acts as a double-edged sword on the immune system; it has both an immunostimulatory effect and an immunosuppressive effect.

The Prognostic Significance of Metastatic Nodal Size in Non-surgical Patients With Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The present study aimed to determine the prognostic value of the size of metastatic lymph node (LN) in non-surgical patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Three hundred seventy-six ESCC patients treated with definitive (chemo-) radiotherapy from January 2013 to March 2016 were reviewed. We analyzed potential associations of metastatic nodal size with responses, patterns of failure, and survival.

The impact of the nodal status on the overall survival of non-surgical patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The prognosis of N categories for patients with non-surgical esophageal carcinoma based on the number of metastatic lymph nodes is controversial. The present study analyzes prognostic implications of the number, extent, and size of metastatic lymph nodes for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with definitive (chemo-)radiotherapy to provide more information on treatment strategy.

Methods: We reviewed 357 ESCC patients treated with definitive radiotherapy between January 2013 and March 2016 retrospectively.