View clinical trials related to Esophageal Cancer.
Filter by:RATIONALE: 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. Cetuximab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for their growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin and irinotecan, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving cetuximab together with cisplatin and irinotecan may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving cetuximab together with cisplatin and irinotecan works in treating patients with metastatic esophageal cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, or gastric cancer that did not respond to previous irinotecan and cisplatin.
The purpose of this study is to see if adding two targeted drugs (bevacizumab and erlotinib) further improves the response to chemotherapy (5-FU, paclitaxel, carboplatin) and radiation therapy in patients with operable esophageal cancer. Side effects (toxicity) information will also be collected.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy 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. Giving more than one chemotherapy drug (combination chemotherapy) together with cetuximab may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying three different combination chemotherapy regimens to compare how well they work when given together with cetuximab in treating patients with metastatic esophageal cancer or gastroesophageal junction cancer.
RATIONALE: Zinc supplements may lower cadmium levels in smokers and may help prevent DNA damage. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well zinc supplements work in lowering cadmium levels in smokers.
RATIONALE: Stop-smoking plans, including counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, may help smokers quit smoking. It is not yet known whether counseling and the nicotine lozenge is more effective than counseling and the nicotine patch in helping adult smokers quit smoking. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying counseling and the nicotine lozenge to see how well they work compared to counseling and the nicotine patch in helping smokers quit smoking.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as irinotecan 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 bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some find tumor cells and kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Others interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of esophageal cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving chemotherapy and monoclonal antibody therapy together with radiation therapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving bevacizumab after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving irinotecan, cisplatin, and bevacizumab together with radiation therapy followed by surgery and bevacizumab works in treating patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer.
The purpose of this clinical research study is to learn if BMS-181339 can shrink or slow the growth of the cancer in patients with advanced or recurrent esophageal cancer. The safety of this treatment will also be studied.
The overall goal of this project is to determine whether polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are contributing to the high rate of esophageal cancer in Linxian, China. Esophageal cancer is one of the most fatal cancers worldwide with Linxian, China having one of the highest rates in the world. In the United States esophageal cancer causes approximately 10,000 deaths each year. It is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in black males and the eighth leading cause of cancer death in men of all races. Although several recent studies have identified some of the molecular changes associated with esophageal cancer, its prevention and treatment within high risk groups continues to be limited by our inability to identify specific etiologic agents. Human exposure to PAHs, including benzo [a]pyrene (B[a]P), is associated with an increased rate of skin, lung, and upper GI tumors and also with an increased mortality from causes related to atherosclerosis. Evidence, including the preliminary results from histologic and food analysis pilot studies, supports the idea that this region's high rate of esophageal cancer may be related to long-term, high-level exposure to PAHs via inhalation of air-borne pollution and ingestion of food cooked with soft coal. Thus, to assess the association of PAHs with the high rate of esophageal cancer in Linxian, China, we plan to analyze samples of food for the presence of PAHs, samples of blood for Hb adducts (a marker of long-term PAH exposure), samples of urine for 1-OH-Pyrene glucuronide (a maker of short-term PAH exposure), and samples of coal for characteristics that may be associated with increased carcinogenesis. We will also administer environmental questionnaires that will include questions about the type of fuel used for cooking and heating, the location and type of stove and/or heating unit (i.e., vented versus unvented), and time spent cooking.
The overall goal of this project is to understand the role of genetics in the etiology and prevention of upper gastrointestinal cancer, primarily esophageal cancer, but also cancers of the gastric cardia and body. Esophageal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in China and the seventh most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Evidence suggests that genetic factors may play an important role in the etiology of this malignancy, and identification of esophageal cancer susceptibility genes may allow screening of populations to identify persons at particularly high risk, who could then be targeted for prevention strategies (e.g., chemoprevention or early detection). There are several lines of evidence supporting the idea that there is genetic susceptibility for esophageal cancer in high-risk Chinese populations, including an association of positive family history with increased risk, evidence of familial aggregation of cases, and segregation analyses suggesting Mendelian inheritance in high-risk families. Several different but complementary approaches will be used to identify esophageal cancer susceptibility genes. (Because of etiologic similarities and for logistic reasons, parallel efforts will be made with gastric cardia and body cancers.) First, a tumor/non-tumor study will be conducted in which a biological specimen bank consisting of samples (tumor, non-tumor, venous blood, finger stick blood, and buccal cells) from several hundred cases of esophageal, gastric cardia, and gastric body cancers will be developed in Taiyuan that can be used for the identification of esophageal (as well as gastric cardia and body) cancer susceptibility genes and potential early genetic markers of these cancers. High-density genome-wide scans with microsatellite markers will be used in a limited number of cases to identify potential hot spots followed by further testing of these hot spots and other candidate markers in additional tumor/non-tumor samples. Premalignant morphologic lesions will also be examined. Second, blood samples for DNA will be collected from approximately 100 healthy individuals from high-risk (Yangcheng County) and low-risk (Beijing) areas to examine potential population differences in polymorphisms for selected genomic markers. Third, a large case-control study with cancers of the esophagus, cardia, and body of stomach will be conducted to evaluate polymorphisms in the candidate markers identified in other components of this project, and to evaluate gene-environment interactions. Finally, a family study will be conducted to evaluate linkage of candidate markers with cancer in families having 2 or more cases with cancers of the esophagus, cardia, and/or body of stomach.
This study, sponsored jointly by the National Cancer Institute and the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, will explore the causes of cancers of the stomach and esophagus (the tube that runs between the mouth and the stomach) in Northern Iran. This is a unique area of study for the following reasons: - Some of the highest rates of esophageal cancer in the world have been reported in northeastern Iran 109 cases per 100,000 men and 175 cases per 100,000 women each year about 40 times higher than the rates of this cancer in the United States. - In this area of Iran, unlike most areas of the world, the disease affects more women than men. - Within 300 miles along the southern border of the Caspian Sea, the rates fall to 10 cases per 100,000 people per year. The high rates of disease in this area, the unique geographic distribution of cases, and the exceptionally high rate in women make Northern Iran a promising site for studying esophageal and stomach cancers. Patients 30 years of age and older who are referred to the upper gastrointestinal disease Atrak Clinic in Gonbad, Golestan Province, Iran, with suspected esophageal cancer may be eligible for this study. In addition, control subjects 30 years of age and older with certain specified diseases will be recruited from patients referred to four hospitals in Gonbad and to the Taleghani Clinic. After giving informed consent, all participants will undergo the following procedures: - Interviews, including questions about age, ethnicity, education, and other demographic data; habits, such as tobacco, opium, and alcohol consumption; personal and family medical history; diet, with special attention to food preservation, cooking methods, and drinking water; physical activity; occupational and residential history; body measurements; signs and symptoms of upper gastrointestinal disease; oral hygiene; animal contact; transfusion history; and family socioeconomic status. - Blood draw (15 milliliters, or 1 tablespoon) for genetic and chemical testing for markers that may predict who gets the disease. - Hair and nail sampling to identify minerals or compounds whose exposure may be related to esophageal cancer. - Endoscopy to evaluate the health of the esophagus and stomach. This test will be performed on all case patients and on control participants who give their permission. Before the examination, the subject will swallow a liquid that numbs the throat and may be given a medicine through a vein to promote drowsiness. The subject will then swallow a tube (endoscope) through which the doctor can look at the esophagus and stomach and take samples of tissue to look for disease. The tissue samples will be examined microscopically and will then be stored for possible future genetic or other testing related to diagnosing or determining the risk of esophageal cancer.