Active clinical trials for "Esophageal Neoplasms"

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the safety and feasibility of giving TNFerade™ with 5-FU, Cisplatin and radiation therapy to patients with locally advanced, esophageal cancer prior to surgical resection. TNFerade™ is a replication deficient (E1, E3 and E4 deleted) adenovirus vector containing the gene for TNF-alpha controlled by a radiation inducible promoter. This allows the expression of TNF-alpha to be greatest in the area receiving radiation. TNF-alpha is a potent cytokine that has been shown to have potent anti-cancer activities but, due to systemic toxicity, could not be delivered at effective doses. TNFerade™ is a novel way of selective delivery of TNF-alpha to tumor cells. TNFerade™ will be delivered once a week for five weeks by direct intratumoral injection by using endoscopy or Endoscopic Ultrasound. 5-FU (1000 mg/m2/day) will be delivered via continuous infusion for 96 hours during weeks 1 and 4. Cisplatin (75 mg/m2) will be delivered on Day 1 and Day 29 intravenously. The dose of radiation delivered will be 45 Gy in 1.8 Gy fractions for 5 weeks.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies such as ABX-EGF can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody ABX-EGF in treating patients who have either renal (kidney), prostate, pancreatic, non-small cell lung, colon, rectal, esophageal, or gastroesophageal junction cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving combination chemotherapy with radiation therapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so it can be removed during surgery. It is not yet known if surgery is more effective with or without radiation therapy and chemotherapy in treating esophageal cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of surgery with or without radiation therapy and chemotherapy in treating patients who have esophageal cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining irinotecan and paclitaxel in treating patients who have metastatic or recurrent cancer of the esophagus or stomach.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of combining epirubicin, carboplatin, and capecitabine in treating patients who have unresectable locally advanced, metastatic, or recurrent solid tumor.

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from certain human papillomaviruses may be able to help the body to kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccine therapy in treating patients who have advanced or recurrent cancer of the cervix, vagina, penis, anus, esophagus, or head and neck.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy before and after surgery may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of combining radiation therapy with two different chemotherapy regimens before and after surgery in treating patients who have esophageal cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of BMS-247550 in treating patients who have recurrent metastatic stomach cancer that has been previously treated with chemotherapy.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of exatecan mesylate in treating patients who have metastatic stomach cancer.

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. Combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy with and without fluorouracil in treating patients who have cancer of the esophagus or stomach.