This study aims to investigate the effect of dose escalation with brachytherapy (BT) as an addition to definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) on local control and survival in esophageal cancer. From 2001 to 2020, 183 patients with locally limited or locally advanced esophageal cancer received definitive CRT with or without brachytherapy in a two-center study. External-beam radiotherapy was delivered at 50.4 Gy in 1.8 Gy daily fractions, followed by a sequential boost to the primary tumor of 9 Gy in 1.8 Gy daily fractions if indicated. Intraluminal high dose rate (HDR) Ir-192 brachytherapy was performed on 71 patients at 10 Gy in two fractions, with one fraction per week. The combined systemic therapy schedules used included 5-fluorouracil/cisplatin or 5-fluorouracil alone. Cisplatin was not administered in patients receiving brachytherapy. The median local progression-free survival was significantly extended in the BT group (18.7 vs. 6.0 months; p < 0.0001), and the median local control was also significantly prolonged (30.5 vs. 11.3 months, p = 0.008). Overall survival (OS) significantly increased in the BT group (median OS 22.7 vs. 9.1 months, p < 0.0001). No significant difference in the overall rate of acute toxicities was observed; however, the rate of acute esophagitis was significantly higher in the BT group (94.4% vs. 81.2%). Likewise, the overall rate of late toxicities (43.7% vs. 18.8%) was significantly higher in the BT group, including the rate of esophageal stenosis (22.5% vs. 9.8%). There was no difference in the occurrence of life-threatening or lethal late toxicities (grades 4 and 5). Brachytherapy, after chemoradiation with single-agent 5-FU, represents a safe and effective alternative for dose escalation in the definitive treatment of esophageal cancer.

Purpose: Chemoradioimmunotherapy (CRIT) with 60–66 Gy is the standard of care (SoC) for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) UICC stage III. The aim of this real-world data (RWD) study was to report the long-term impact of Durvalumab and radiation dose escalation on clinical outcomes. Material and Methods: ALLSTAR is a nationwide prospective multicentre registry for NSCLC UICC stage III, in which 12/14 Austrian centres participated (ethics approval number: 1002/2019). The basis for the current analysis is the third data extraction, which was completed on 2 June 2025. Apart from the SoC, alternative dose-fractionation and sequential CRT concepts >66 Gy were also permitted. Durvalumab maintenance treatment for one year was administered at the discretion of the tumour board at each centre. Results: Compared to prior analyses by our group, 40 individuals who completed follow-up (FUP) were added to this final analysis, leading to a total patient population of 228 (156 CRT plus Durvalumab; 72 CRT). In 156 patients, Durvalumab was added to CRT, while 72 received CRT only. The median FUP periods were 41.0 (95%-CI: 36.7–45.4) and 37.8 months (95%-CI: 31.4–44.1) for the Durvalumab and CRT cohort, respectively. Radiation dose escalation combined with Durvalumab treatment was associated with a nominally higher ITC of 37 months (95%-CI: 24.5-not reached) compared with 17.7 months (95%-CI: 14.9-not reached) in patients receiving neither dose escalation nor Durvalumab (N = 135; HR = 0.61; 95%-CI: 0.37–1.006; p-value 0.051). With Durvalumab maintenance, a median PFS of 22.8 months (95%-CI: 19.4–38.3) was observed compared to 16.5 months (95%-CI: 12.6–24.5) without (N = 228; HR = 0.61; 95%-CI: 0.42–0.88; p-value 0.0071). Median OS was 52.6 months (95%-CI: 39.5-not reached) with Durvalumab compared to 27.4 months (95%-CI: 18.7-not reached) without (N = 228; HR = 0.52; 95%-CI: 0.34–0.78; log-rank p-value < 0.002). Median time to death or distant metastasis (TTDM) was 33.3 months (95%-CI: 23.5–45) in the Durvalumab cohort compared to 18.7 months (95%-CI: 14.8-not reached) in the CRT cohort (N = 228; HR = 0.60; 95%-CI: 0.42–0.89; log-rank p-value 0.01). Median time to death or local relapse (TDLR) with Durvalumab was 30.4 months (95%-CI: 23.5–51.1) compared to 17.2 months (95%-CI: 14.8–25.7) without (N = 226; HR = 0.58; 95%-CI: 0.40–0.83; log-rank p-value < 0.003). Conclusion: This final RWD analysis implies both a beneficial effect of high-dose irradiation combined with Durvalumab on ITC and the long-lasting impact of Durvalumab on PFS, OS, TTDM, and TDLR.