View clinical trials related to Esophageal Neoplasms.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to determine if there are any early changes in DNA markers of blood and esophageal tissue in people with gastric reflux, Barrett's esophagus or esophageal cancer that can warn of a progression to esophageal cancer.
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 make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as oxaliplatin and fluorouracil, 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, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of oxaliplatin and fluorouracil when given together with cetuximab and radiation therapy and to see how well they work in treating patients with stage II or stage III esophageal cancer.
The purpose of this research study is to determine if the combination of docetaxel, cisplatin, irinotecan and bevacizumab will help shrink metastatic esophageal or gastric cancer and how the cancer responds to this combination. Bevacizumab is a new drug that is believed to stop the formation of new blood vessels that carry nutrients to tumors. Bevacizumab is approved for use in metastatic colon and rectal cancer. Docetaxel, cisplatin and irinotecan are traditional chemotherapy agents that have been tested together in another clinical trial for esophageal and gastric cancer. Of the 40 patients on this trial, 60% of the patients showed a response of some kind and the regimen was well tolerated. It is hoped that adding bevacizumab to this regimen will make the treatment more effective.
RATIONALE: Chemoprevention is the use of certain drugs to keep cancer from forming, growing, or coming back. The use of esomeprazole and aspirin may prevent esophageal cancer in patients with Barrett's metaplasia. It is not yet known whether esomeprazole is more effective with or without aspirin in preventing esophageal cancer in patients with Barrett's metaplasia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying esomeprazole with or without aspirin to compare how well they work in preventing esophageal cancer in patients with Barrett's metaplasia.
This study is for people with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal cancer. This study is being done to find out how long it takes tumors to grow after patients take the drugs capecitabine, oxaliplatin and cetuximab. Capecitabine (also called Xeloda) is a drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Capecitabine has been approved for treatment of cancer of the colon and rectum. Oxaliplatin is another drug approved by the FDA. Oxaliplatin is also approved for treatment of cancer of the colon and rectum. Cetuximab is also a drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of cancer of the colon and rectum, as well as cancer of the head and neck. Capecitabine, oxaliplatin and cetuximab are not approved for gastric or gastroesophageal cancer. They are considered experimental drugs for this study. The purpose of this study is to see how long it takes patients' tumors to progress when they are taking oxaliplatin and capecitabine. Another purpose is to see how many tumors respond to this drug combination. The investigators also want to see how long people live when taking these drugs. The side effects of this drug combination will also be evaluated. This study will also measure the levels of certain genes (the cell's blueprint) in tumors. These genes affect how peoples' bodies react to the cancer drugs. Genes will also be measured in the blood. The investigators want to see how these genes can predict response to these study drugs.
Surgery has been the standard of care for esophageal cancer for many years, with limited success. At present, several studies are underway nationwide which utilize chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy prior to the usual surgical regimen. Although this treatment offers some possibility for improvement of patients with esophageal cancer, there remains a significant need for development of new drugs that can substantially impact survival Investigators at the University of Michigan have been evaluating inhibitors of tumor blood vessel growth (angiogenesis). Specifically, they are evaluating the role of copper in angiogenesis. Copper has been shown to be both a requirement and a potent stimulus for angiogenesis. Previous studies have shown Tetrathiomolybdate (TM) to rapidly lower copper levels in the blood. The physicians at the University of Michigan are studying whether the addition of TM to the chemoradiation and surgery may increase survival for patients with esophageal cancer.
This prospective study was designed to assess the outcomes (survival and failure patterns) of therapy for localized esophageal cancer with conventional dose radiation (RT; 50.4 Gy) with concurrent continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and weekly carboplatin/paclitaxel. Patients with less than complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) received dose escalation of radiation to 59.4 Gy with the same chemotherapy.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fluorouracil, irinotecan, leucovorin, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving more than one chemotherapy drug may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy as first-line therapy works in treating patients with metastatic esophageal cancer.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy such as paclitaxel, fluorouracil, and cisplatin 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 chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well combination chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy, with or without surgery, works in treating patients with resectable locally advanced cancer of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction.
This research study is trying to determine whether Barrett's esophagus and associated esophageal cancers, specifically esophageal adenocarcinoma are inherited in certain families. Persons who are affected with Barrett's esophagus or esophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma type) are asked to complete a questionnaire that determines their habits and asks a detailed family history. Family members of patients seen at University Hospitals of Cleveland are also being recruited for screening tests of their esophagus. The investigators plan to eventually screen family members at all participating institutions. This research will eventually lead to the identification of inherited genetic changes that cause Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer. It will help the investigators develop better methods for preventing or identifying esophageal cancer at an early curable stage.