Could more surgery and radiation after immunotherapy keep esophageal cancer at bay?
NCT ID NCT07705412
First seen Jul 15, 2026 · Last updated Jul 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks back at medical records of people with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who had immunotherapy and chemotherapy before surgery, followed by complete tumor removal. The goal is to see if adding radiotherapy after surgery, and how many lymph nodes were removed, affects whether the cancer returns in the same area. Researchers will compare outcomes among patients who did or did not receive postoperative radiotherapy, based on what happened during their routine care.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- postoperative radiotherapy and lymph node dissection
- What this could lead to
- If the results show a clear benefit, it could help doctors decide which patients with esophageal cancer should receive radiotherapy after surgery to lower the chance of cancer coming back.
- What could go wrong
- Because this is an observational study looking back at medical records, it cannot prove cause and effect. Differences in outcomes might be due to other factors, not just the treatments received.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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465 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Finished
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Jun 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
The study population will be selected from the electronic medical record and hospital information system databases of six esophageal cancer centers. Consecutive patients treated between January 2021 and December 2024 will be screened. Eligible patients will have histologically confirmed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and will have received neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy followed by curative esophagectomy with R0 resection. Existing demographic, clinical, surgical, pathological, postoperative treatment, and follow-up data will be retrospectively extracted. No treatment or exposure will be assigned by the investigators. All eligible patients will be included in one retrospective cohort, with postoperative radiotherapy and lymph node dissection characteristics evaluated as observed clinical exposures.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically confirmed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. * Received at least two cycles of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy consisting of a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor combined with platinum- and taxane-based chemotherapy. * Underwent planned curative esophagectomy with R0 resection, defined as microscopically negative surgical margins. * Operative records and postoperative pathology reports documented the number of lymph nodes removed. * Complete information on postoperative management was available, including postoperative radiotherapy, systemic therapy, or observation. For patients who received postoperative radiotherapy, information on the radiation field and dose was available. * At least 12 months of postoperative follow-up information was available. Exclusion Criteria: * Histological type other than esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, including adenocarcinoma or neuroendocrine carcinoma. * Received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, neoadjuvant immunochemoradiotherapy, neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone, or no neoadjuvant treatment. * Distant metastatic disease at the initial diagnosis. * Underwent R1 or R2 resection. * Death within 90 days after surgery. * History of another malignancy within 5 years before study entry, except for cured nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ, or a history of thoracic radiotherapy. * Missing key information required to determine the extent of lymph node dissection, postoperative radiotherapy details, date of recurrence, or date of death.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Tongji hospital, Wuhan, Hubei 430030
Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Blood and tissue markers could forecast esophageal cancer return