Active clinical trials for "Esophageal Neoplasms"

This is a single center study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new ablation technique involving the spray of liquid nitrogen through a catheter (cryotherapy) via an upper endoscopy (EGD) to ablate Barrett's esophagus with changes of high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or intramucosal cancer (IMCA) and patients with esophageal cancer limited to the esophageal wall, in whom there are no standard treatment options available.

In this trial, FLOT will be evaluated as therapy option for elderly patients (>65 years) with advanced gastric cancer in comparison to the well established FLO scheme. The hypothesis is that FLOT is more effective than FLO in elderly patients with acceptable side effects.

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 receiving treatment with the drugs irinotecan (also known as CPT-11) and docetaxel (also known as Taxotere). Irinotecan is a drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Irinotecan has been approved for treatment of cancer of the colon and rectum. Docetaxel is another drug approved by the FDA. Docetaxel is approved for treatment of breast, prostate and lung cancer. However, the FDA has authorized the use of irinotecan and docetaxel in this study. This study will evaluate the effects of these drugs on participant's tumors. The side effects of the combination of irinotecan and docetaxel will also be evaluated. This study will also measure the levels of certain substances in participant's tumors. These substances, called genes (which are the cell's blueprint), affect how people's bodies react to the cancer drugs. Genes will also be measured in participant's blood. The researchers want to see if these substances can predict response to the study drugs.

In this randomized study, we plan to address the important question of optimum local treatment for patients with localized esophageal cancer. All patients will receive our previously studied neo-adjuvant regimen including paclitaxel, carboplatin, infusional 5-FU, and radiation therapy to 45 Gy. At the completion of neo-adjuvant therapy, patients will be randomized to undergo surgical resection, or to continue radiation to a total dose of 60 Gy, along with one additional course of chemotherapy.

The primary purpose of this trial is to define the maximum tolerated and/or recommended phase II dose of the combination of panitumumab, oxaliplatin and capecitabine in patients undergoing radiation therapy for carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus or gastroesophageal junction. An additional primary objective is to describe the frequency and nature of grade III/IV and grade I/II toxicities associated with this regimen. Secondary objectives include describing 1-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates as well as to estimate clinical and pathologic complete response rates associated with this regimen.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as oxaliplatin and capecitabine, 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 chemotherapy together with radiation therapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving oxaliplatin and capecitabine together with radiation therapy works in treating patients undergoing surgery for stage II, stage III, or stage IV esophageal cancer.

RATIONALE: Vorinostat may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving vorinostat together with combination chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of vorinostat when given together with irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin in treating patients with advanced upper gastrointestinal cancer.

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if a combination of the investigational drug oxaliplatin with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) (given at the same time as radiation therapy) is as effective as a combination of these two drugs given before and during radiation therapy in the treatment of esophageal or gastroesophageal cancers. The safety of these combinations of therapy will also be compared. Objectives: Primary objective: Compare the Pathologic Complete Response rate and % of patients with <50% residual cancer in the resected surgical specimen between Arms A and B. Secondary objectives: Compare 1-year and 3-year survival rates, median survival time, R0 resection rates, safety, and local plus systemic relapse rates between Arms A and B Perform exploratory correlative studies on blood, adjacent normal and cancer tissue to assess predictive markers of response and outcome. Evaluate the joint effects, including possible interactive effects, of proton-versus-photon therapy and treatment arm on overall survival, R0 resection rates, safety, and local plus systemic relapse rates.

This study is for patients who have stomach cancer or cancer of the lower part of the esophagus that has spread to other organs. There are many different chemotherapy treatments for this type of cancer. At the present time, there is no general agreement on the way to choose the most beneficial therapy for an individual patient. Patients with different genetic backgrounds may respond differently to the same chemotherapy treatments. In this study the investigators will use a certain genetic difference in an important gene (thymidylate synthase or TS gene) to see whether treating patients who have a particular type of that gene will respond better to a standard chemotherapy regimen. The investigators are hoping that by treating patients according to their genes, that they may respond to treatment of their cancer better and it will help the investigators choose cancer treatments better in the future.

Chemotherapy given together is a standard way to treat your cancer. One standard treatment includes a combination of docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil. However, the original combination of these three drugs can cause many side effects. This study is being done to find out if these three drugs can be given at lower doses more often, with fewer side effects and still maintain the same benefit as the standard way of giving this three drug combination. If your tumor overexpresses a protein called Her2, you are also eligible to receive trastuzumab with chemotherapy. Trastuzumab is a medicine that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Her2 positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab is now also a standard treatment in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of Her2 positive stomach cancer. If your tumor is Her2 positive, you would receive the modified administration schedule of docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil with trastuzumab.