Adjuvant Chemotherapy After Trimodality Therapy In Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer.

144 Background: The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy after preoperative chemoradiation and surgery is unclear in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. We studied the toxicities and clinical outcomes in patients treated with or without adjuvant chemotherapy (CTX) after trimodality therapy. Methods: Records of patients with T3+ or N+ esophageal cancer who received preoperative chemoradiation followed by surgical resection from 2003-2013 were reviewed. Patients with postoperative deaths or poor performance status within 3 months after surgery were excluded (n = 13). Tolerability and hematologic toxicities of adjuvant CTX were recorded. Clinical outcomes of patients treated with adjuvant CTX were compared with a cohort of patients who received no further therapy (NFT). Results: Of the 81 trimodality patients included in the study, 53 received CTX and 28 received NFT after surgery. Median follow-up time was 23 months. FOLFOX (34%), cisplatin/5-FU (15%), 5-FU/LV (15%), ECF (13%), and carboplatin/paclitaxel (9%) were the most commonly used adjuvant regimens. Multiple rationales for adjuvant CTX were cited, including pathologic nodal status (32%), favorable pathologic response (61%), and provider preference (51%). Grade III/IV hematologic toxicity occurred in 11% of the CTX group: leukopenia (8%/2%), neutropenia (4%/4%), and thrombocytopenia (2%/0%). Two patients in the CTX group did not complete their prescribed CTX, which was discontinued after 1 cycle. Patient and clinical characteristics between CTX and NFT patients were well-balanced, except for pathologic complete response (pCR) rates (CTX 25% vs. NFT 50%, p=0.03). Three-year OS and DFS were similar between CTX and NFT patients (74% vs 70%, 60% vs. 64%, respectively). In patients who achieved pCR (33% overall), adjuvant CTX was associated with an improved 3-yr OS (86% vs. 62%), but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.22). Distant failures occurred in 11% of the CTX group and 18% of the NFT group. Conclusions: Adjuvant CTX after trimodality therapy in esophageal cancer is feasible and well-tolerated with encouraging clinical outcomes. Further studies are needed to define the role of adjuvant CTX in these patients.