Adjuvant (postoperative) therapy for esophageal cancer.

This article focuses on adjuvant (postoperative) strategies for locally advanced esophageal cancers. Results of completed phase III trials of postoperative therapy for locally advanced adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the esophagus and gastroesophageal (GE) junction are summarized. Several postoperative and perioperative strategies have been shown to improve survival by approximately 15% when compared with surgery alone for adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and GE junction. On the other hand, all proven strategies for resectable SCCs involve preoperative treatment, and there are no validated strategies for the postoperative treatment of SCC.