Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Is Elective Nodal Irradiation Necessary?

In patients treated with 3D-CRT for esophageal SCC, the omission of elective nodal irradiation was not associated with a significant amount of failure in lymph node regions not included in the planning target volume. Local failure and distant metastases remained the predominant problems.