Clinical treatment patterns and patient characteristics in the advanced and metastatic esophageal cancer (EC) population treated in the hospitals from county or prefecture-level cities in high-prevalence areas of China: Real-world data.
Year: 2025
Type: conference-abstract
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: e16039 Background: About half of the newly diagnosed esophageal cancer (EC) cases worldwide occur in China each year. The distribution of EC patients (pts) in China shows a significant regional concentration. Most advanced or metastatic EC pts receive treatment at nearby hospital rather than national or provincial medical centers. Since the approval of PD-1 inhibitors for the treatment of advanced EC in 2022, immunotherapy has become a common treatment for advanced EC. This study aimed to focus on the patient characteristics and treatment pattern of EC pts treated in the hospitals from county or prefecture-level cities in the era of immunotherapy. Methods: This retrospective observational study utilized electronic health records data of pts with advanced/metastatic EC from 6 medical centers between 1 January 2022 and 1 June 2024. Pts were followed up until the last patient record as of November 1, 2024. Descriptive analyses were performed to evaluate patient and treatment characteristics. Results: A total of 322 pts were included in the study, of which 71.4% were male. The median age was 68.4 years. 79.8% of the pts came from the local county or city, 13.6% were from within the province, and 6.6% were from other provinces. A total of 97.8% of pts sought medical attention due to EC-specific symptoms, and 93.6% were diagnosed with EC through endoscopy. Squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus accounted for 90.4%. 67.1% advanced-stage pts was progressed from earlier stages of the disease. A total of 126 (39.1%) pts had undergone surgical treatment, of which 97.5% were R0 resection, and 56.3% patients received perioperative treatment. 116 (36%) pts received definitive chemoradiotherapy. At the advanced stage, 126 (39.1%) pts had only lymph node metastasis, and 176 (54.7%) pts had organ metastasis. Among the patients with lymph node metastasis, the most common sites were the mediastinal lymph nodes (64.0%) and supraclavicular lymph nodes (32.0%). Among the patients with organ metastasis, lung metastasis (46.0%) was the most common, followed by liver metastasis (36.9%) and bone metastasis (26.7%). Information on 309 patients who received first-line (1L) treatment was recorded. 88.7% received chemotherapy, including TP (51.1%), FP (14.6%) and single-agent therapy (24.1%). Additionally, 78.3% received PD-1 inhibitor treatment, 7.1% received TKI therapy and 28.2% received radiotherapy. Information on 111 patients who received 2L+ treatment was recorded, and the regimens for subsequent treatments were more diverse. Conclusions: Most advanced EC pts received treatment at local hospitals in high-incidence areas of China. The majority of advanced-stage pts have progressed from earlier stages of the disease. Immunotherapy and chemotherapy are commonly used treatment for advanced EC. Clinical trial information: ChiCTR2400089404 .
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology
Authors: Hongwei Cai, Yong Wang, Xianjun Zhao, Fukai Hou, Jianzhuang Guo, Zunbei Wen, Kunqiang Zhang, Zongtai Li, Xianru Zhang, Leilin Zhu, Hongmin Cheng, Jie Xu, Aiting Yan, Ye Qian, Dongmei Ai, Jian Zhang, Buyuan Zhang
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4410809963