Table 1.
Basic characteristics of the included studies
| Author (year) | Enrollment year | Patient number | Pathology | Location | Treatment | Radiation dose (Gy) | Radiation technique | IFI patient number | ENI patient number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ma et al12 (2011) | September 2004 to April 2006 | 102 | SCC | Cervical (n=33) and upper thoracic esophageal (n=69) | CCRT + CT | 41.4 Gy/23 F (1.8 Gy, qd) +18 Gy/12 F (1.5 Gy, bid) DT: 59.4 Gy |
3D-CRT | 51 | 51 |
| Liu et al16 (2014) | January 2008 to December 2010 | 169 | SCC | Cervical and upper thoracic esophageal | NR | DT: 60–68.4 Gy DT: 50.4–54 Gy (ENI) |
3D-CRT | 99 | 70 |
| Yamashita et al14 (2015) | June 2000 to March 2014 | 239 | SCC + other | 23/56/41 (upper/middle/lower) | CCRT + CT | IFI: 50.4 Gy/28 F ENI: 50–50.4 Gy/25–28 F |
3D-CRT | 119 | 120 |
| Jing et al13 (2015) | January 2009 to March 2013 | 137 | SCC | 11/126 (cervical/thoracic) | CT-RT/CCRT/RT-CT | DT: 50–68.4 Gy 1.8–2.0 Gy/per F |
3D-CRT | 83 | 54 |
| Li et al (2015) ASTRO |
April 2012 to November 2014 | 110 | SCC | NR | CCRT | GTV: DT 60–66 Gy CTV: DT 50–54 Gy 1.8–2 Gy/per F |
IGRT | 54 | 56 |
Abbreviations: IFI, involved-field irradiation; ENI, elective nodal irradiation; SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; CCRT, concurrent chemoradiotherapy; CT, chemotherapy; F, fraction; DT, dose of total; 3D-CRT, 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy; NR, no report; RT, radiotherapy; GTV, gross tumor volume; CTV, clinical target volume; IGRT, image-guided radiation therapy; qd, once a day; bid, twice a day.