J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 124(5): 392-397, 2023

---

Feature topic

CHEMOTHERAPY FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER

The cisplatin plus 5-FU (CF) regimen has been regarded as the standard therapy for esophageal cancer since the 1990s. Recently, new evidence for chemotherapy for unresectable and resectable esophageal cancer has been reported. Above all, the emergence of immuno-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized esophageal cancer treatment. First, the usefulness of ICIs in the second-line treatment of unresectable esophageal cancer was clarified. Subsequently, the combination of CF chemotherapy, ICI therapy, and doublet ICI therapy has been applied as first-line treatment in the clinical setting, and nivolumab is now available as postoperative adjuvant therapy. An investigator-initiated clinical trial of nivolumab combined with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant therapy for resectable esophageal cancer is now underway. Thus, ICIs have been recognized as key agents in esophageal cancer treatment. On the other hand, there are many unclear points regarding the usage of ICIs, such as their safety and proper use, and it is important to accumulate data that will serve as indicators of these in the future.

---

---

To read the PDF file you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer.