Surgery Alone Versus Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Surgery for Stage I and II Esophageal Cancer: Final Analysis of Randomized Controlled Phase III Trial FFCD 9901

In this randomized trial involving195 pts from 30 centers, pts underwent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery or surgery alone for stage I or II esophageal cancer.  The median follow-up was 94 months.  80% of pts had clinical stage II disease.  R0 resection rate and 3-year survival were similar between the groups.  Induction therapy was associated with an increase in operative mortality (11.1% vs 3.4%, p=0.049).