There is a need for more effective therapy for patients following surgery for esophageal carcinoma. Docetaxel and Irinotecan, independent of each other, have demonstrated activity in this disease. There is interest in the combination of these two active agents plus radiotherapy.
The high rate of local and distant failure following surgery for esophageal carcinoma necessitates a more effective therapy for these patients. The merit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is early management of micrometastatic disease and radiosensitization. A longstanding regimen, 5-FU and Cisplatin, have failed to produce a substantial survival benefit, but the approach has resulted in pathologic complete responses prior to surgical eradication of the diseased organ. This raises questions of organ preservation in some patients. Docetaxel and Irinotecan have both demonstrated independent activity in this disease and are radiosensitizers. In this study, Docetaxel and Irinotecan will be given together weekly for 3 consecutive weeks in an attempt to decrease the recurrence of systemic disease, and this will be followed by giving each agent independently with radiation therapy to decrease the local relapse rate and independently measure the toxicity of each with radiation. Following completion of chemoradiotherapy, the patients will undergo resection and be evaluated for the pathologic response rate.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
25
50 mg/m2 of Irinotecan will be administered intravenously over 60-90 minutes following a Taxotere infusion each week for 3 weeks. After a break, Irinotecan will then be given for 3 consecutive weeks at 45 mg/m2 in conjunction with radiotherapy.
Taxotere at 35 mg/m2 is given intravenously over 1 hour each week for three consecutive weeks. After a one-week break, patients will receive Taxotere at a 25 mg/m2 dose for the first three weeks of a 5-6 week radiotherapy regimen.
Radiotherapy will be given in 28 fractions over 5-6 weeks at 1.8 Gy per fraction for a total of 50.4 Gy. This will begin concurrently with chemotherapy on Day 29 of treatment.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
The determination of pathologic response in patients who undergo surgical resection.
Time frame: Approximately 14 weeks before eligible patients have surgery
To assess the overall survival, time to treatment failure, and quality of life in patients who receive any therapy
Time frame: Approximately 4 months
To assess the toxicities associated with this treatment and any impact on surgery.
Time frame: Approximately 4 months
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
After approximately 14 weeks of treatment, the patient will be evaluated for surgery. Only those who have achieved a good response will be eligible.