Impact of extending the original criteria in the Chemoradiotherapy for Oesophageal Cancer followed by Surgery Study (CROSS) regimen on treatment outcome in locally advanced esophageal cancer patients

2025-05

BACKGROUND: The Chemoradiotherapy for Oesophageal Cancer followed by Surgery Study (CROSS) regimen is currently offered to locally advanced esophageal cancer patients beyond the original eligibility criteria. This national population-based study assessed the safety in implementation regarding treatment outcome when extending these criteria.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Locally advanced esophageal cancer (cT1N+/T2-4aN0-3/M0) patients (n = 5061) from the Netherlands Cancer Registry treated according to the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) CROSS regimen between 2015 and 2022 were analyzed. A total of 1958 complied with the original criteria (O-CROSS group) and 1348 with one or more extended criteria (tumor length >8 cm, age >75 years, WHO score >2 and/or weight loss >10%) (E-CROSS group), eventually followed by resection in 1342 O-CROSS patients and 852 E-CROSS patients. Primary outcome was overall survival (OS), i.e. time interval from onset of nCRT (OS-nCRT) and from date of surgery (OS-surgery) until death or last follow-up. Secondary outcomes were disease-free survival, pathological complete response (pCR), surgical radicality, post-operative morbidity and mortality. Data were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models.RESULTS: OS-nCRT was significantly lower in the E-CROSS compared with the O-CROSS (median of 30.3 months, 95% confidence interval 27.2-33.5 months versus 45.9 months, 95% CI 38.4-53.4 months, P < 0.001). Similarly, differences were observed in OS-surgery. When OS-nCRT and OS-surgery were adjusted for baseline covariates, however, no difference was found between both groups. Moreover, no differences were observed in disease-free survival, surgical radicality, and pCR. While not affecting post-operative mortality, significantly more anastomotic leakages and thromboembolic post-operative complications were seen in the O-CROSS group.CONCLUSION: Extending the CROSS criteria was associated

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Wang, H H, Nolte, I M, Verhoeven, R H A, Oppedijk, V, van Etten, B, Kats-Ugurlu, G, Plukker, J T M & Hospers, G A P 2025, 'Impact of extending the original criteria in the Chemoradiotherapy for Oesophageal Cancer followed by Surgery Study (CROSS) regimen on treatment outcome in locally advanced esophageal cancer patients', ESMO Open, vol. 10, no. 5, 105098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esmoop.2025.105098
English

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1524238904

UNIV OF GRONINGEN
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