Upfront Surgery Valid for cT1-2N1 Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The study analyzed the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (ncrt) in patients with completely resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (escc) and minimal lymph node involvement (cN1). The researchers conducted a retrospective review of 247 patients who underwent upfront radical esophagectomy followed by adjuvant treatment. They found that upfront surgery provided accurate nodal staging information, potentially sparing some cN1 patients from unnecessary ncrt, while demonstrating comparable 5-year disease-free survival rates for both cN0 and cN1 groups. The study suggests that upfront radical surgery may be a valid treatment option for ct1-2n1 escc.