Treatment strategies for limited-stage primary small cell carcinoma of esophagus
QIU Xiaolin
FAN Bingjie
WANG Linlin
Abstract：Primary small cell carcinoma of esophagus(PSCCE)is a rare and highly aggressive neuroendocrine tumor,accounting for 0.05%to 3.1%of all esophageal malignancies.Its biological characteristics are similar to those of small cell lung cancer,with highly aggressive behavior and early dissemination tendency.It often metasta-sizes rapidly through lymphatic and hematogenous pathways.The prognosis is extremely poor,with a 5-year overall survival rate of less than 15%.There are no large-scale randomized controlled trials,and no standard treatment strategies have been established.In recent years,the treatment of limited-stage PSCCE has become a focal point of research.In traditional treatment paradigms,endoscopic therapy is feasible for very early-stage cases,while radical surgery serves as the primary approach for relatively early-stage patients.For locally advanced cases,two predominant treatment modalities are commonly employed in clinical practice:a surgery-based comprehensive treatment regimen and a radical chemoradiotherapy-centered therapeutic protocol,with no definitive conclusion yet reached regarding the optimal treatment strategy.Concurrently,emerging therapeutic strategies such as immuno-therapy and molecularly targeted therapy have demonstrated remarkable clinical efficacy,thereby providing novel therapeutic opportunities for limited-stage PSCCE.This article aims to review the recent advances in the treatment of limited-stage PSCCE,summarize the current diagnostic and therapeutic landscape,and outline future directions in this field.
Keywords：small cell carcinomaesophageal carcinomatreatmentsurvival
Publication Date：2025-06-10
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 1603-1610 )