Results of radical radiotherapy of squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus.

A retrospective study was undertaken of 444 patients who were referred with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus during the period January 1956 to December 1974 and who were treated by radical radiotherapy. The overall crude survival rate at 5 years was 9.0% which is similar to the results of most series reported from other centres and compares favourably with the results of radical surgery. The crude 5 year survival rate was 5.7% for males and 11.6% for females, a significant difference (P less than 0.05). Survival is analysed in terms of sex, site, size and histological grade. Patients (males and females) with the best 5-year survival rates had tumours no more than 5.0 cm in length (11.9%) or confined to the cervical oesophagus (18.9%). Histological grade appeared to have no influence on prognosis. The principal morbidity associated with radical radiotherapy is fibrous stricture formation. This occurred in 43.7% of the patients but was usually effectively managed by bouginage.