Preoperative docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil for resectable locally advanced esophageal and esophagogastric junctional adenocarcinoma

Chemotherapy consisting of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel is the standard perioperative treatment for resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma and esophagogastric junctional adenocarcinoma (EGJ-AC) in Western countries. Meanwhile, preoperative chemotherapy consisting of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) has been developed for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Japan. However, there are few reports on the safety and efficacy of preoperative DCF for resectable EGJ-AC in the Japanese population. Patients with histologically confirmed resectable EGJ-AC who received preoperative DCF (docetaxel 70 mg/m2 and cisplatin 70 mg/m2 on day 1 and continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil 750 mg/m2/day on days 1–5 every 3 weeks with a maximum of three cycles) between January 2015 and April 2020 were retrospectively evaluated. We assessed the rates of completion of ≥ 2 courses of DCF and R0 resection, histopathological response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events. Thirty-two patients were included. Median follow-up was 28.7 (range, 5.2–70.8) months and median age was 63 (range, 42–80) years. Twenty-one patients (66