Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus immunotherapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor camrelizumab for the treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis. 87 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer were included who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus immunotherapy between June 2018 and April 2021 in our oncology department. The postoperative clinical outcomes and varying expressions of PD-1 were evaluated in all enrolled patients.

Results: The post-treatment disease control rate (DCR) was 83.91%, and the objective response rate (ORR) was 59.77%. Cancer tissues were categorized based on PD-1 expression into PD-1 negative (39 cases) and PD-1 positive (33 cases), with a PD-1 positive rate of 45.83%. Patients with PD-1-positive tumors exhibited a significantly higher ORR compared to those with PD-1-negative tumors, although DCRs did not differ significantly between the groups. The 12-month progression-free survival rate was significantly higher in PD-1-positive patients. In contrast, no significant difference was found in the 12-month overall survival rate between the two groups. The incidence of grade III adverse events was 10.34%, and no grade IV or higher adverse events were observed.

Conclusion: In patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus immunotherapy demonstrates good efficacy and safety, especially for PD-1-positive patients, and significantly improves prognosis.