Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41626750›Full record

ArticleAnnals of medicine2026

Adding anti-PD-1 antibody to definitive chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: higher intensity does not equate to better outcomes.

Peiying Cen, Biqi Chen, Wenxi Zhou, Qi Cheng, Zimeng Li, Chen Yi, Xingyuan Cheng, Lirong Tian, Guangkuo Wei, Shiliang Liu and 6 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Peiying CenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Biqi ChenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Wenxi ZhouDepartment of Breast Surgery, Hubei Cancer Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei Provincial Clinical Research Center for Breast Cancer, Wuhan Clinical Research Center for Breast Cancer, Wuhan, P. R. China.
Qi ChengPostgraduate Training Base Alliance of Wenzhou Medical University (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, P. R. China.
Zimeng LiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Chen YiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Xingyuan ChengDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Lirong TianDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Guangkuo WeiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Shiliang LiuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Yujia ZhuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Yujin XuPostgraduate Training Base Alliance of Wenzhou Medical University (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, P. R. China.
Hao ZhangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Hubei Cancer Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China.
Mian XiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-8088-0970
Baoqing ChenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Qiaoqiao LiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-6299-4966

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and purposeThe benefit of adding anti-PD-1 antibodies to definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) in elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains uncertain. This study evaluated its efficacy and safety versus dCRT alone. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe retrospectively analyzed the patients aged ≥ 70 years with ESCC treated at three academic centers from 2009 to 2023. All patients received first-line dCRT and the study group additionally received anti-PD-1 antibodies (IO group). Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to balance baseline factors.

resultsA total of 241 patients were enrolled, including 130 in the IO group and 111 in the dCRT group. After 1:1 PSM (110 patients per group), no significant differences in overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS) were observed. The median OS was 34.5 vs 33.7 months (HR = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.58-1.28,

conclusionAdding anti-PD-1 antibodies to dCRT did not result in a significant improvement in OS or PFS in the ESCC patients aged ≥ 70 years; however exploratory findings indicate a potential PFS signal in selected patients with favorable baseline conditions, which requires confirmation in prospective studies.

Indexed as

ChemoradiotherapyEsophageal NeoplasmsEsophageal Squamous Cell CarcinomaImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleProgression-Free SurvivalPropensity ScoreRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsPDCD1 protein, humanProgrammed Cell Death 1 Receptoranti-PD-1 antibodychemotherapyelderly patientsEsophageal cancerradiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID41626750
PMCPMC12865836

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.