Esophageal Cancer Trial Timeline: A Dual-Track Map of 30 Years and 42 RCTs

From RTOG 85-01's counterintuitive definitive-CRT 50 Gy dose ceiling, to CROSS establishing neoadjuvant CRT, to the East Asian split (NEOCRTEC5010 / JCOG1109), to the advanced-IO big three (CheckMate-648 / KEYNOTE-590 / ESCORT-1st), to CheckMate-577 perioperative adjuvant — tracing the evolution of 42 landmark trials across the ESCC / EAC dual track and the 2026 decision landscape, with every PMID traceable