RATIONALE: The prognosis of patients with advanced esophageal cancer may be improved by preoperative chemoradiation. But only those patients have a benefit from this additional therapy, whose tumor shows a response after chemoradiation. Molecular markers may help to identify before starting the therapy those patients who response. PURPOSE: This is the first prospective, clinical trial to study the impact of ERCC1 to predict histopathological response to neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (RTx/CTx) in patients with cancer of the esophagus.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
80
The gene polymorphism of ERCC1 rs11615 and the pathways of ERRC1 will be analyzed in endoscopic tumor biopsies as well as in normal tissues prior to therapy. The results will be compared with histopathologic response after neoadjuvant therapy.
Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, University of Cologne
Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
histopathologic response to chemoradiation
Patients with cT3 esophageal cancer received RTx/CTx according a standardized protocol. 6 weeks after this neoadjuvant therapy a tranthoracic esophagectomy with two-field lymphadenectomy will be performed. The histopathologic response is measured using the surgical specimen.
Time frame: 1 month postoperative
prognosis
All patients get a standardized follow-up every three month evaluating clinical signs of response. If necessary additional diagnostic procedures will be performed.
Time frame: 2 years after surgical resection
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