Second-line combination chemotherapy with docetaxel and nedaplatin for metastatic or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus refractory to chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin

Background There is no standard second-line chemotherapy regimen after failure of the standard 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin in the treatment of esophageal cancer. We retrospectively investigated the efficacy and toxicity of combination chemotherapy using docetaxel and nedaplatin for patients with metastatic or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus refractory to prior chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin, and evaluated the prognostic significance of clinical factors in these patients.