Quality of Life Assessment of Patients Receiving Treatment for Esophageal Cancer [Companion to CALGB-9781]

Patients with histologically documented untreated squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma of the thoracic esophagus (below 20 cm) or gastroesophageal junction and with less than 2cmdistal spread into the gastric cardia eligible for C9781.
There could be no evidence of distant metastatic disease by history and physical examination; upper endoscopy with biopsy, computed tomography (CT) of the chest and upper abdomen, and pulmonary function studies were all required.
Tumors had to be considered surgically resectable (T1-3, NX), including regional thoracic lymph node (N1) metastases.
Patients with supraclavicular lymph nodes measuring ≤1.5 cm by CT (not palpable) were eligible, as were patients with lymph node metastases to levels 15 to 20 (predominantly celiac axis and paracardial nodes) ≤ 1.5 cm by CT.
Patients could not have previously received chemotherapy or radiation therapy for this tumor or any radiation therapy that would overlap the radiation fields required for this malignancy. Patients with previous malignancies were eligible if more than 5 years had elapsed from diagnosis without evidence of tumor recurrence.
There could be no other serious illness that would limit survival to less than 2 years, or psychiatric condition that would prevent compliance with treatment or informed consent.
Patients with uncontrolled or severe cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, or active infections were excluded, as were pregnant patients.