Postoperative Adjuvant therapy versus Surgery Alone for Stage IIB-III Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial.

The results of this phase III study indicated that PORT/POCRT could significantly improve DFS and OS in stage IIB-III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared with surgery alone with acceptable toxicities. In-field and out-of-field recurrences were comparable between the POCRT and PORT groups, which demonstrates the rationality and safety of the radiation field used in our study. The postoperative regimens in this trial might be accepted as a standard treatment options for pathological stage IIB-III esophageal cancer. Larger sample size prospective randomized trials to identify the value are warranted.