Combination Chemotherapy Plus Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Cancer of the Esophagus
- Conditions
- Esophageal Cancer
- Registration Number
- NCT00002984
- Lead Sponsor
- UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Brief Summary
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining more than on drug and combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells.
PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy in treating patients with advanced or metastatic cancer of the esophagus.
- Detailed Description
OBJECTIVES: I. Define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of paclitaxel (TAX) when given as a 3 hour infusion in combination with cisplatin (CDDP), fluorouracil (5-FU), and radiation therapy. II. Define the toxicity profile of TAX when given as a 3 hour infusion in combination with CDDP, 5-FU, and radiation therapy. III. Evaluate the effectiveness of a TAX containing chemotherapy regimen and concurrent radiotherapy followed by resection in the treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer as judged by the complete response rate, pathological complete response rate, time to recurrence, and overall survival.
OUTLINE: Patients receive radiation to the tumor and nodal area 5 days a week for 5 weeks. Patients receive chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin (CDDP) via rapid intravenous infusion on day 1 followed by fluorouracil (5-FU) via 96-hour continuous infusion (CI) on days 1 through 4; this is repeated on the last 4 days of radiation therapy (days 29-31), with an additional dose of CDDP on day 29 and a 96-hour CI of 5-FU on days 29-31. Patients also receive paclitaxel (TAX) as a weekly 3 hour infusion on days 1, 8, 15, and 29, with 3 patients treated at each dose level and subsequent patients treated according to the toxicity observed in previous cohorts. TAX will be given prior to the CDDP and 5-FU on the weeks when it is given concurrently. The MTD of TAX is defined as the dose at which no more than 1 of 6 patients experiences dose-limiting toxicity. Surgical resection takes place 2-8 weeks following completion of chemoradiotherapy in all patients except those with disease progression and those who are surgically unresectable or medically unfit (includes those with metastatic disease) to tolerate surgery. An additional course of TAX/CDDP/5-FU is given 28-35 days after surgery.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Three patients will be entered into the lowest dose level of TAX, and 3-6 patients entered into up to three additional dose levels of TAX for the phase I study. An additional group of up to 11 patients will be accrued for the first stage of the modified phase II study and 38 to the second stage, if warranted. The study will be completed within 3-4 years.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 26
Not provided
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- SINGLE_GROUP
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Maximum Tolerated Dose 8 weeks Define the maximum tolerated dose of paclitaxel when given as a 3-hour infusion in combination with cisplatin, 5-FU, and radiation therapy. The MTD will be defined as the dose level immediately below that which caused dose limiting toxicity (DLT) in a third or more of the patients in any cohort.
Number of subjects experiencing adverse events 8 weeks Adverse drug events will be graded using the Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), graded 1-5 with 5 being death.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Efficacy of treatment 2 years Evaluate the effectiveness of a paclitaxel-containing chemotherapy regimen and concomitant radiotherapy followed by resection in the treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer as judged by the complete response rate, pathological complete response rate, time to recurrence, distant failure rate, and overall survival as determined by radiographic evlauation
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC
🇺🇸Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States