View clinical trials related to Esophageal Cancer.
Filter by:RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as pemetrexed disodium and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Pemetrexed disodium may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving radiation therapy together with pemetrexed disodium and carboplatin before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving radiation therapy together with pemetrexed disodium and carboplatin works in treating patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer that can be removed by surgery.
RATIONALE: Gefitinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving gefitinib before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well gefitinib works in treating patients with stage I, stage II, or stage III esophageal cancer that can be removed by surgery.
The combination of cisplatin and irinotecan has significant anti-tumor activity in esophageal cancer. Oxaliplatin has been shown to have activity in combination with 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) and radiation in treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer. Oxaliplatin also has better side effects profile than cisplatin and may be able to overcome tumors that have developed cisplatin resistance. The standard treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer has been cisplatin, 5FU and radiation followed by possible esophagectomy. However, a large portion of these patients will relapse and the tumor may develop resistance to cisplatin and/or the cumulative toxicity from previous treatment forbids the use of cisplatin again. Weekly combination of oxaliplatin and irinotecan has been shown to be active and well tolerated in elderly population with refractory colorectal cancer. Therefore, we propose this phase II trial of a weekly oxaliplatin and irinotecan to test the effectiveness and the tolerability of this regimen in metastatic and/or recurrent esophageal cancer.
This study is for patients with cancer of the esophagus. This study uses the drugs irinotecan, cisplatin and celecoxib. Irinotecan (also known as CPT-11) was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in colon cancer, but has not been approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of cancers of the esophagus. Cisplatin is a drug that is commonly used to treat patients with cancer of the esophagus. We are combining these two chemotherapy drugs with a drug called Celebrex. Celebrex (also called Celecoxib) is an oral medication that is approved by the FDA for pain in the treatment of arthritis. There is some information to suggest that this drug may have anti-cancer activity. In prior studies combining irinotecan and cisplatin, tumors of the esophagus have been shown to shrink. We are adding Celebrex to these drugs to see if it makes the drugs work better to shrink cancer or cause fewer side effects.
Although declining in incidence, gastric/gastroesophageal cancer is still a commonly diagnosed malignancy in Canada. Patients who have undergone surgical resection for early disease have a high rate of local recurrence and distant spread. More than 50% of patients present with either locally advanced or metastatic disease. Patients with advanced disease have an extremely poor prognosis, with average survival times ranging from 3 - 9 months. Development of new therapeutic approaches for locally advanced or metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal cancer, is clearly needed. Despite its proven efficacy, ECF (epirubicin, cisplatin, and infusional 5-fluorouracil [5-FU]) has not been widely adopted in North America and is likely due to the technical difficulties and inconvenience associated with infusional chemotherapy. This study will substitute the oral chemotherapy drug capecitabine for infusional 5-FU in addition to substituting intravenous cisplatin with carboplatin (ECC - epirubicin, carboplatin and capecitabine). It is hoped that these substitutions will not only reduce the typical ECF related adverse effects but also allow for a more convenient administration of outpatient chemotherapy. It is also hoped that the genetic correlates of this study may also identify specific populations that preferentially benefit from ECC treatment.
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 esophageal cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor and by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell 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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving cetuximab together with combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving cetuximab together with combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy works in treating patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer that cannot be removed by surgery.
The purpose of this study is to characterize the safety and tolerability of AMG 706 plus panitumumab when administered with gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy. This is a Phase 1b clinical study.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Gefitinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining oxaliplatin and gefitinib with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of oxaliplatin when given together with gefitinib and radiation therapy and to see how well they work in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal cancer.
RATIONALE: Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of two different vaccines in treating patients who have cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.
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. Giving chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed during surgery. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy given before surgery in treating patients who have stage I, stage II, or stage III esophageal cancer.