Paclitaxel and Carboplatin Versus Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil in Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Esophageal Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM Cisplatin with 5-fluouracil (Cis/5Fu) and paclitaxel with carboplatin (Pac/Car) are common regimens used in concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer (EC). Here, we aimed to compare the survival outcomes and treatment-related toxicities between these regimens in neoadjuvant CCRT in patients with locally advanced EC. PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred and thirty-six patients with locally advanced EC (98% squamous cell carcinoma) were prospectively recruited between 2016 and 2017 in a non-randomized manner. Patients were categorized into two groups according to the chemotherapeutic agents administered (Pac/Car group, n=87; Cis/5Fu group, n=47) in CCRT to compare the survival outcome and severe adverse event (sAE) incidence. RESULTS Forty-two patients (85.7%) and 80 patients (91.4%) in the Cis/5Fu and Pac/Car groups completed pre-planned CCRT (p=0.26), respectively. The Cis/5Fu group presented a higher incidence of non-hematological sAE than the Pac/Car group (69.45% vs. 51.7%, p=0.049). Patients in the Pac/Car group showed a higher rate of surgical resection than those in the Cis/5Fu group (49.4% vs. 22.4%, p