A phase I/II study to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of accelerated fractionation radiotherapy for the palliation of dysphagia from carcinoma of the oesophagus.

AIMS

We hypothesised that accelerated fractionated radiotherapy may provide a good palliative approach for dysphagia relief in patients with incurable oesophageal cancer, significantly reducing the overall duration of treatment, while providing symptom response with an acceptable toxicity profile. A phase I/II accelerated fractionation study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of this approach.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with incurable oesophageal cancer, symptomatic with dysphagia, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status<or=3, without fistula or oesophageal stent in situ, were eligible. Treatment consisted of 40 Gy in 20 fractions, twice a day (2 Gy per fraction, >or=6 h apart), 5 days a week, over 2 weeks.

RESULTS

Of the 39 evaluable patients, the dysphagia response rate was 69% (27/39) with a median response duration of 5.5 months. The median time to response was 4 weeks. Twenty-eight per cent (11/39) of patients had transient worsening in their dysphagia scores. Acute toxicity (weeks 1-8) occurred in 41% (16/39) of patients. An improvement in global quality of life by week 8 was seen in 42% of patients. There were no late neurological sequelae. The median overall survival was 8 (range 1.7-58+) months.

CONCLUSION

The ideal palliative regimen should be relatively short, with minimal toxicity, while offering a favourable response profile. Accelerated fractionation fulfils these criteria and is a suitable treatment alternative for the palliation of dysphagia, especially if the goal is to deliver a higher total biological dose within a shorter (2 week) period of time.