Phase II Study of Maintenance Treatment of Nimotuzumab for Advanced Esophageal Carcinoma

Inclusion Criteria: * Patient who was confirmed stage IV esophageal carcinoma by pathologic histology or cytology. * The sample size estimate: 20 cases per arm. * Males or females aged ≥18 years, \< 75 years. * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2. Life expectancy ≥12 weeks. * Males and females should be contraceptive during the period of the trial until 8 weeks after the last administration of the drug. * Adequate bone marrow, renal, and liver function are required. * Able to comply with the required protocol and follow-up procedures, and able to receive oral medications. * Institutional review board-approved informed consent will be obtained for every patient before initiation of any trial-specific procedure or treatment. Exclusion Criteria: * Any unstable systemic disease (including active infection, uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction within the previous year, serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication, hepatic, renal, or metabolic disease). * Allergy to anti-EGFR antibody. * Female subjects should not be pregnant or breast-feeding. * Adequate hematological function: Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1.5 x 109/L, and Platelet count ≥100 x 109/L. Adequate renal function: Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN, or ≥ 50 ml/min. Adequate liver function: total bilirubin \< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \< 2.5 x ULN in the absence of liver metastases, or \< 5 x ULN in case of liver metastases. * Patient assessed by the investigator to be unable or unwilling to comply with the requirements of the protocol.