The number of lymph nodes that contain evidence of cancer is the best predictor of the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation prior to surgery for individuals with esophageal cancer, according to a new study from St. James' Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The authors say this is a very important finding as the previous focus in response studies have been on the primary tumor.
Multimodal neoadjuvant therapy -- where patients are given cycles of drugs and radiation prior to surgery -- is increasingly being used as a way to increase survival rates in patients with esophageal cancer.
