Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy, With or Without Cetuximab, Followed by Surgery in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer That Can Be Removed by Surgery

Esophageal Cancer Clinical Trial

Official title: Multimodal Therapy With and Without Cetuximab in Patients With Locally Advanced Esophageal Carcinoma - An Open-Label Phase III Trial

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays and to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. It is not yet known whether giving radiation therapy together with chemotherapy is more effective with or without cetuximab in treating patients with esophageal cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying giving radiation therapy together with chemotherapy, with or without cetuximab, followed by surgery in treating patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer that can be removed by surgery.

Clinical Trial Description

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• To determine the efficacy of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy comprising docetaxel, cisplatin, and radiotherapy in combination with cetuximab followed by surgery and adjuvant cetuximab versus neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy comprising docetaxel, cisplatin, and radiotherapy followed by surgery in patients with locally advanced esophageal carcinoma.

Secondary

• To compare the toxicity of the two therapy arms.

• To determine patterns of failure overall and with regard to histology.

• To evaluate economic aspects in a subproject and to perform a radiotherapy quality assurance program.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to center, histology (adenocarcinoma vs squamous cell carcinoma), primary tumor (T2 vs T3-4), and gender (male vs female). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

• Arm A:

• Induction chemotherapy (docetaxel and cisplatin) and concurrent cetuximab Patients receive docetaxel IV over 1 hour and cisplatin IV over 1 hour on day 1 and cetuximab IV over 1-2 hours on day 1, 8, and 15. Treatment repeats every 21 days for 2 courses.

• Chemotherapy (docetaxel and cisplatin), cetuximab, and concurrent radiotherapy Beginning in week 7, patients receive cetuximab IV over 1 hour, docetaxel IV over 30 minutes, cisplatin IV over 1 hour on days 43, 50, 57, 64, and 71 and undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for 5 weeks. Patients then undergo surgery 4-7 weeks after completion of radiotherapy.

• Adjuvant cetuximab Beginning 3-6 weeks after completion of surgery, patients receive cetuximab IV over 1-2 hours once every 2 weeks for a total of 6 doses.

• Arm B: Patients receive induction chemotherapy comprising docetaxel IV and cisplatin IV for 2 courses as in arm A. Beginning in week 7, patients receive docetaxel IV, cisplatin IV, and concurrent radiotherapy for 5 weeks as in arm A. Patients then undergo surgery 4-7 weeks after completion of radiotherapy.

After completion of study therapy, patients are followed up at 1 (arm B) or 6 (arm A) months, every 3 months for 3 years, and then every 6 months for 2 years. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Adenocarcinoma
• Adenocarcinoma of the Gastroesophageal Junction
• Esophageal Cancer
• Esophageal Neoplasms

• NCT number: NCT01107639
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: May 27, 2010
• Completion date: December 9, 2018