Safety and outcome of definitive chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with oesophageal cancer

Little is known about chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in elderly patients with a locally advanced oesophageal cancer (OC). The aim of our study was to evaluate the tolerance and the outcome of elderly patients older than 70 years treated with CRT for a non-metastatic OC. Chemoradiotherapy was based on radiotherapy combined with a cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Clinical complete response (CCR) to CRT was evaluated on upper digestive endoscopy and computed tomography scan 6–8 weeks after CRT completion. One hundred and nine consecutive patients were included. A CCR was observed in 63 patients (57.8%) and 2-year survival was 35.5%. Adverse events ⩾grade 3 were observed in 26 (23.8%) patients. Chemotherapy dose reduction, chemotherapy delays more than 1 week, and treatment discontinuation were observed in 33 (30.3%), 45 (41.3%), and 17 patients (15.6%), respectively. Comorbidity index according to Charlson score was significantly associated with treatment tolerance. In multivariate analysis, a CCR to CRT (P<0.01), a dose of radiotherapy ⩾80% (P=0.02), and a Charlson score ⩽2 (P=0.046) were identified as independent prognostic factors of overall survival. These results suggest that CRT could be considered as an effective treatment without major toxicity in elderly patients with OC

Beneficial soil microbiome for sustainable agricultural production

The projected increase in world population and the need to reduce the reliance on non-renewable inputs, such as synthetic agrochemicals, are challenging the current vision of agriculture. In particular, to achieve a fair and sustainable global food security, disruptive changes in crop production are unavoidable. A promising strategy proposes to exploit the metabolic capabilities of soil microbial communities, i.e., the microbiome, to conjugate stable yield with reduced impact on the agroecosystem. In this chapter, we introduce the microbiome populating the root-soil interface from an evolutionary perspective. Next, we discuss the molecular bases of plant-microbe interactions in soil and how these interactions impact plant growth, development and health. We illustrate how plant-probiotic members of the microbiome can be isolated from soil and further characterized for their biological activities, a key pre-requisite for translational applications. In addition, we focus on paradigmatic examples of soil microbes turned into inoculants for agriculture, their fate on soil, their impact on the native microbiome and the beneficial effects exerted on crop productio