Radiotherapy
primary esophagus disease, tumor
TUMOR
All the patients underwent intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which were calculated with the Monacle planning system. Vacuum bags were utilized to avoid differences in the daily radiotherapy. Radiotherapy treatment planning was conducted on the basis of recent CT outcomes. Gross tumor volume (GTV) included the primary esophagus disease and metastatic regional lymph node discovered by image inspection. GTV and 0.5–0.8 cm margins were delineated as planning target volume (PTV). The total radiation dose was 50–64 Gy in 25–32 fractions over 5–7 weeks. The dose constraints were as followed: the maximum spinal cord ≤50 Gy, the mean lung dose ≤20 Gy, the mean liver dose ≤25 Gy, the maximum gastrointestinal ≤56 Gy.