Pathological Response is not a Reliable Surrogate for Overall Survival in Neoadjuvant Studies for Esophageal Cancer

The study evaluates the validity of using pathological response as a surrogate marker for overall survival (OS) in neoadjuvant studies for esophageal cancer. A meta-analysis comprising 40 trials and 55,344 patients shows that the surrogacy between pathological complete response (PCR) and OS is moderate. The study establishes a lack of surrogacy at the trial level and cautions against relying solely on PCR as the primary endpoint in neoadjuvant studies for esophageal cancer.