Impact of the radiotherapy combined with cisplatin plus paclitaxel chemotherapy on the immunologic functions in the patients with esophageal cancer.

To study the impact of radiotherapy combined with cisplatin plus paclitaxel chemotherapy on the immunologic functions in the patients with esophageal cancer, from July 2012 to September 2014, 82 patients of esophageal cancer which were receiving treatment in our hospital chose out for this research. Among them, 42 patients received radiotherapy only, as the control group; while the other 40 patients with concurrent cisplatin plus paclitaxel chemo radiotherapy was taken as the observation group. Then the immunologic functions, toxic and side effects were compared between the two groups as well as the survival rates after 3-year-followup-visit, Th level of the total T cells, Th cells and the ratio of Th cells to Ts cells after receiving treatment all increased significantly compared with prior treatment. And the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). After the treatment, the level of T cells, Th cells and the ratio of Th cells to Ts cells of the observation group were all significantly lower than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). While the difference of the ratio of Ts cells to natural killer cells (NK cells) between the two groups were not significant. The toxic and side effects were mainly myelosuppression, decrease leukocyte, esophagit, nausea and vomiting, and it was not statistically significant in the difference between the two groups (P >0.05), the survival rates from the first year to the third year in the observation group were respectively significantly higher than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Radiotherapy combined with cisplatin plus paclitaxel chemotherapy could properly increase the immunologic functions in patients with esophageal cancer, benefiting for the survival rate with a good security. Therefore, it was worth promoting.