Table 1 Comparing the patients’ clinical characteristics.

From: Definitive radiotherapy dose escalation with chemotherapy for treating non-metastatic oesophageal cancer

Characteristics

Number of patients (%)

All (n = 115)

RT dose < 66 Gy (n = 44)

RT dose ≥ 66 Gy (n = 71)

p value

Age, years

  <60

54 (47)

19 (43)

35 (49)

0.523

  ≥60

61 (53)

25 (57)

36 (51)

 

  Median, range

61, 32-86

62, 32-85

60, 39-86

 

Sex

  Male

107 (93)

40 (91)

67 (94)

0.479

  Female

8 (7)

4 (9)

4 (6)

 

Performance

  ECOG 0

52 (45)

13 (29)

39 (55)

0.027

  ECOG 1

52 (45)

25 (57)

27 (38)

 

  ECOG 2

11 (10)

6 (14)

5 (7)

 

Tumor histology

  SqCC

110 (95)

42 (96)

68 (96)

0.929

  Adenocarcinoma

3 (3)

1 (2)

2 (3)

 

  Other carcinoma

2 (2)

1 (2)

1 (1)

 

Tumor grade

  GX, G1

14 (12)

4 (9)

10 (14)

0.701

  G2

37 (32)

14 (32)

23 (32)

 

  G3

64 (56)

26 (59)

38 (54)

 

Tumor location

  Cervical

16 (14)

5 (11)

11 (15)

0.902

  Upper third

25 (22)

10 (23)

15 (21)

 

  Middle third

38 (33)

14 (32)

24 (34)

 

  Lower third/EGJ

36 (31)

15 (34)

21 (30)

 

Tumor length

  ≤5 cm

45 (39)

17 (39)

28 (39)

0.932

  >5 cm

70 (61)

27 (61)

43 (61)

 

  Median, range

7, 2-20

7, 2-14

6, 2-20

 

Clinical T stage

  T1-2

25 (22)

8 (18)

17 (24)

0.761

  T3

60 (52)

24 (55)

36 (51)

 

  T4a

10 (9)

3 (7)

7 (10)

 

  T4b

20 (17)

9 (20)

11 (15)

 

Clinical N stage

  N0

29 (25)

12 (27)

17 (24)

0.222

  N1

38 (33)

18 (41)

29 (28)

 

  N2

27 (24)

6 (14)

21 (30)

 

  N3

21 (18)

8 (18)

13 (18)

 

Reason for no surgery

  Unresectable tumor

68 (59)

23 (52)

45 (63)

0.476

  Patient’s choice

19 (17)

9 (21)

10 (14)

 

  Medically inoperable

28 (24)

12 (27)

16 (23)

 

Chemotherapy regimen

   

0.495

  Cisplatin + 5-FU

95 (83)

35 (80)

60 (85)

 

  Cisplatin or 5-FU monotherapy

20 (17)

9 (20)

11 (16)

 

Maintenance chemotherapy

   

0.124

  Yes

85 (74)

29 (66)

56 (79)

 

  No

30 (26)

15 (34)

15 (21)

 

RT technique

  VMAT

49 (43)

15 (34)

34 (48)

0.292

  IMRT

43 (37)

20 (46)

23 (32)

 

  3DCRT

23 (20)

9 (20)

14 (20)

 
  1. Abbreviations: RT, radiotherapy; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; SqCC, squamous cell carcinoma; G, grade; EGJ, esophagogastric junction; CCRT, concurrent chemoradiotherapy; 5-FU, 5-fluorouracil; VMAT, volumetric modulated arc therapy; IMRT, intensity-modulated radiotherapy; 3DCRT, three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy.
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