Millions in funding for therapy comparison in esophageal cancer
Medical Center - University of Freiburg leads large clinical study with 18 centers / Funded by German Research Foundation / International therapy recommendation as a goalAdenocarcinoma of the oesophagus is one of the most rapidly increasing forms of cancer in Europe and the USA. Two very different forms of therapy are currently used in the treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer. Which therapy is more effective, however, is still completely unclear. Under the direction of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, a large clinical trial is now to clarify whether chemotherapy administered before and after surgery is superior to a combination of radiation and chemotherapy before surgery. The aim is to develop an internationally valid therapy recommendation. The study, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with 1.3 million euros, involves 18 centers in Germany. A total of over 400 patients are to be followed over a period of seven years.
Stalemate between two forms of therapy
Only one in four patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus is permanently cured by surgery alone. For this reason, surgery has been supplemented with other treatments for several years now. With five weeks of combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy in addition to surgery, over 40 percent of patients can already be cured. However, studies have also shown that chemotherapy alone, which is administered eight weeks before and after surgery, is clearly superior to surgery alone.
"Both therapies have already prevailed over surgery alone in Europe. The aim now is to determine which of these therapies is the best," says study leader Prof. Dr. Jens Höppner, Managing Senior Physician at the Department of General and Visceral Surgery at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. In addition to healing and survival rates, the comparison also takes into account the quality of life of the 438 study participants. "The aim of our study is to arrive at a clear national and international recommendation for one of the two treatment options," says Prof. Höppner.
At the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, the Department of General and Visceral Surgery, the Department of Radiation Oncology, the Department of Medicine I, the joint Comprehensive Cancer Center Freiburg - CCCF and the study center of the Medical Center are also significantly involved in the study.