Clinical Efficacy and Adverse Reactions of VMAT Radiotherapy Combined with Raltitrexed Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Elderly Patients with Esophageal Cancer

Yujuan Gao, Lei Yuan, Xuewei Zhang

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¹ Tai’an Cancer Hospital, Shandong Province, Tai’an 271000, Shandong, China,

PAR 2025 , 9(4), 93–98; https://doi.org/10.26689/par.v9i4.11572

© 2025 by the Authors. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and adverse reactions of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) radiotherapy combined with raltitrexed chemotherapy in the treatment of elderly patients with esophageal cancer. Methods: A total of 86 elderly patients with esophageal cancer admitted to our hospital between February 2024 and February 2025 were enrolled in this study and equally divided into two groups: a control group receiving VMAT radiotherapy alone and a study group receiving VMAT radiotherapy combined with raltitrexed chemotherapy, with 43 patients in each group, to compare the therapeutic outcomes between the two treatment approaches. Results: The study group demonstrated significantly higher objective remission and disease control rates than the control group (P < 0.05). Post-treatment levels of HSP90α, Cyfra21-1, and CEA were markedly reduced in the study group relative to the control group (P < 0.05). Adverse reaction incidence showed no notable difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). Quality of life (QOL) scores were significantly elevated in the study group compared to the control group at both 3- and 6-month follow-ups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: VMAT radiotherapy combined with raltitrexed chemotherapy can improve the short-term efficacy, reduce tumor marker levels, and improve the quality of life of elderly patients with esophageal cancer. The treatment has fewer adverse reactions and better patient tolerance.

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