Table 2.

Trials of preoperative combined chemoradiotherapy plus surgery (trimodality) vs. surgery alone

Trial	No. Patients	Chemotherapy	Radiation dose (Gy)	pCR	3-yr survival
Le Prise et al.90
Trimodality	45	Cisplatin, 5-FU	S, 20	9.8%	19.2
Surgery	41				13.8 NS
Walsh et al.51
Trimodality	58	Cisplatin, 5-FU	40 Gy	25%	32
Surgery	55				6 (P < .01)
Bosset et al.91
Trimodality	143	Cisplatin	SC, 37 Gy	21%	18.6 mos*
Surgery	139				18.6 mos* NS
Urba et al.92
Trimodality	50	Cisplatin, 5-FU, vinblastine	Hfx 45 Gy	28%	30
Surgery	50				16 NS
Lee et al.93
Trimodality	51	Cisplatin, 5-FU	Hfx 45.6 Gy	43%	28.2*
Surgery	50				57* NS
Burmeister et al.94
Trimodality	128	Cisplatin, 5-FU	35 Gy	16%	22.2 mos*
Surgery	128				27.3 mos* NS
Tepper et al.52
Trimodality	30	Cisplatin, 5-FU	50.4 Gy	40%	39†
Surgery	26				16† (P = .002)

All chemotherapy was given concurrently with radiotherapy unless specified.

^*Median survival

^†5-year survival

Abbreviations: S = sequential; SC = split course; Hfx = twice daily hyperfractionated; 5-FU = 5-fluorouracil; NS = not statistically significant