279 Treatment Outcomes and Survival in Small Cell Oesophageal Carcinoma: A Single-Centre Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract Aim Small cell oesophageal carcinoma (SCOC) is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma with no established treatment guidelines. Its low incidence and rapid progression limit the feasibility of randomised trials. This retrospective study evaluated treatment patterns and associated survival outcomes. Method All patients with histologically confirmed SCOC treated at a single centre between 2007 and 2024 were included. Patients with mixed histopathology or disease involving the oesophagogastric junction were also eligible. Results Sixty-three patients were identified, with a median age of 67 years; 37 (58.7%) were male. Metastatic disease at diagnosis was present in 37 patients (58.7%). Among those with non-metastatic disease, radical chemoradiotherapy achieved the longest median overall survival of 23 months, followed by palliative chemotherapy given sequentially rather than concurrently with radiotherapy (18 months), surgery (with or without chemotherapy – 13 months), and palliative chemotherapy alone (5 months). Patients with metastatic disease had a median overall survival of 7 months. Notably, four patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy in this cohort remain alive at 183, 82, 32, and 13 months after initial diagnosis. Conclusions These findings support radical chemoradiotherapy as the optimal treatment for selected patients with non-metastatic SCOC.