The Impact of Surgical Treatment on Survival in Localized Small Cell Esophageal Cancer

Limited-stage small cell esophageal carcinoma (LS-SCEC) is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis and no established standard treatment strategy. Due to its low incidence, current evidence is mainly derived from small retrospective studies, and the role of surgery in multimodal treatment remains controversial. In particular, the survival benefit of surgical treatment compared with definitive non-surgical therapy has not been fully clarified. This single-center retrospective cohort study aims to evaluate the impact of surgical versus non-surgical treatment strategies on survival outcomes in patients with LS-SCEC. Patients receiving surgical treatment, including surgery alone, neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery, or surgery followed by adjuvant therapy, will be compared with patients receiving definitive non-surgical treatment, including chemoradiotherapy-based approaches. Clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes will be retrospectively collected and analyzed. The primary endpoint is overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival (PFS) and treatment-related prognostic factors. Propensity score-based methods and multivariable survival analyses will be performed to reduce potential selection bias and evaluate the independent association between treatment strategy and prognosis. The study is expected to provide additional real-world evidence regarding the optimal management of LS-SCEC and help guide individualized treatment decision-making for this rare disease.