This is a single-institution, prospective phase II trial with an initial safety run-in to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab combined with chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with locally advanced esophageal and gastric cancers (EGC). Chemoradiation therapy (45Gy in 25 fractions with concurrent, weekly carboplatin \[AUC 2\] and paclitaxel \[50mg/m2 of BSA\]) with three cycles of pembrolizumab will be administered as neoadjuvant therapy. These patients will also receive three cycles of adjuvant pembrolizumab after surgical resection
Enrolled patients will receive three doses of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab (200 mg administered as an intravenous infusion over 30 minutes every 3 weeks). The first dose of pembrolizumab will be administered approximately 14 days prior to initiating radiotherapy. The second dose will be administered three weeks later (week 1 of chemoradiation). The third dose will be administered 3 weeks later (week 4 of chemoradiotherapy). Pembrolizumab will be given every 3 weeks and may be given at the same time as systemic therapy. All patients will receive radiation treatment (45Gy in 25 fractions at 1.8 Gy/fraction) using image-guided radiation therapy with concurrent, weekly carboplatin (AUC 2) and paclitaxel (50mg/m2 of BSA). Restaging will be performed per standard of care approximately 4-8 weeks after completing chemoradiotherapy. Resection will be performed approximately 6-12 weeks after completing chemoradiotherapy per standard of care. Postoperatively, three additional cycles of pembrolizumab (200 mg every 3 weeks) will be administered as adjuvant therapy.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
35
Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab ( 3 cycles) administered concurrently with weekly Carboplatin and Paclitaxel and daily radiation therapy; followed by surgical resection and adjuvant Pembrolizumab ( 3 cycles)
Duke Cancer Center
Durham, North Carolina, United States
Number of Participants With Pathologic Complete Response (pCR)
A two-stage design will be used to test the null hypothesis that the true pCR rate is ≤ 0.30 against the alternative hypothesis that the true pCR rate is ≥ 0.50. This design will allow the trial to stop early to accept the null hypothesis. If there are no more than 4 responders (27%) in the first 15 evaluable patients, the trial will stop to accept the null. Otherwise, an additional 15 evaluable patients will be accrued.
Time frame: up to 20 weeks
Safety of the Combined Drug Therapy With Radiation Therapy
The number of Grade 3+ non-hematological adverse events of special interest that occurred will be reported.
Time frame: Neoadjuvant: from the start of neoadjuvant therapy until surgery, approximately 20 weeks Postoperative: within 30 days after surgery Adjuvant: from the start of adjuvant therapy until 90 days after the last dose of adjuvant therapy
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