Salvage Endoscopic Treatment after Definitive Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Cancer

We describe our experience with 2 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent endoscopic treatment as salvage treatment after Chemo Radio Therapy (CRT). A 60-year-old man who received CRT for esophageal cancer (T2N0M0, stage II) developed local recurrence of the cancer 1 year and 4 months after the completion of CRT and underwent Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) as salvage treatment. He did not develop any recurrence for 3 years after the ESD, but eventually died of intercurrent disease. A 69-yearold man who received CRT for pharyngeal cancer (T4N2M0, stage IV) and early esophageal cancer (TlbN0M0, stage I) developed local recurrence of the esophageal cancer 6 months after the completion of CRT and underwent Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR) as salvage treatment. He remains alive without recurrence 5 years after the EMR. Although the indications for salvage endoscopic treatment need to be carefully examined, this treatment appears to be useful for local recurrence of esophageal cancer developing after CRT.