Analyses on patterns of lymph node metastasis and its impact on prognosis in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone: a single
7 hours ago
- #lymph node metastasis
- #neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy
- #esophageal cancer
- The study compares lymph node metastasis (LNM) patterns in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC) patients treated with neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (nICT) versus chemotherapy alone (nCT).
- nICT showed a higher pathological complete response (pCR) rate (22.1% vs. 6.7%) and lower metastatic lymph node ratio (LNR) (3.5% vs. 6.2%) compared to nCT.
- nICT reduced lymph node involvement in key stations, particularly level 7 (left gastric artery), with lower lymph node metastasis rates (LNMR2 and LNMR3).
- The nICT group had a significantly lower overall recurrence/metastasis rate (36.2% vs. 56.8%) and reduced anastomotic site recurrence.
- Multivariable analysis showed nICT independently predicted lower recurrence risk (adjusted OR = 0.55) and improved event-free survival (HR = 0.65), though overall survival (OS) did not differ significantly.
- Conclusion: nICT is associated with better pathological response, lower LNM burden, and reduced postoperative recurrence in TESCC compared to nCT alone.