Does protruding type 1 esophageal cancer really have a good response to radiation therapy?—a retrospective observational study

Polypoid or exophytic carcinoma of the esophagus has long been reported to have a better outcome with surgery and/or radiation therapy (RT) than other types of esophageal cancer. However, these studies were conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, when responses to RT in “proliferative” or “tumorous” disease types were evaluated by esophagography (1-3). With recent advances in endoscopic technology, accurate tumor typing is commonly achieved on the basis of macroscopic endoscopic findings (4). RT is frequently used to treat locally advanced esophageal cancer; however, no studies have evaluated the association between responses to RT and type of esophageal cancer as determined endoscopically. In this retrospective study, we therefore compared responses to RT in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer according to the macroscopic disease type determined on the basis of endoscopic findings. We also assessed responses to RT in patients who had undergone at least two follow-up endoscopies