Professor Florian Lordick played a key role in the ESOPEC trial, a landmark phase 3, multicenter, randomized study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. This trial directly compared perioperative chemotherapy with FLOT (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel) to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (carboplatin, paclitaxel, and radiotherapy) in patients with resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma, aiming to determine the optimal multimodal treatment approach.
The results of the ESOPEC trial significantly impact the standard of care for esophageal cancer. Patients treated with FLOT-based perioperative chemotherapy had superior survival outcomes compared to those receiving preoperative chemoradiotherapy. At three years, overall survival was 57.4% in the FLOT group compared to 50.7% in the chemoradiotherapy group, with a hazard ratio of 0.70 (P = 0.01), confirming a meaningful survival advantage. Progression-free survival was also notably higher at 51.6% vs. 35.0%, reinforcing the effectiveness of systemic chemotherapy in controlling disease progression.
Professor Lordick, a leading expert in gastrointestinal oncology, contributed equally with Professor Peter Grimminger to the study’s design, data interpretation, and result validation. His work helped refine treatment protocols and supported the transition toward perioperative FLOT chemotherapy as the new standard for resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma. These findings challenge the long-standing role of preoperative chemoradiotherapy and highlight the need for a paradigm shift in the multimodal management of this aggressive disease.
The study underscores the importance of personalized treatment strategies and multidisciplinary collaboration in improving patient outcomes. With these results, Professor Lordick and his colleagues provide essential guidance for oncologists worldwide, ensuring that patients receive the most effective therapies based on the latest high-quality evidence.
