Combination Chemotherapy and Interferon Alfa Followed by Surgery and/or Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage I, Stage II, or Stage III Esophageal Cancer

• Status: Terminated
• Trial end date: 2007-11-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Interferon alfa may interfere with the growth of cancer cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining more than one drug and combining chemotherapy with interferon alfa, surgery, and/or radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy and interferon alfa followed by surgery and/or radiation therapy in treating patients who have stage I, stage II, or stage III esophageal cancer.

• Phase: Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Northwestern University
• Collaborator: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Treatments: Calcium; Fluorouracil; Hydroxyurea; Interferon-alpha; Interferons; Leucovorin; Levoleucovorin

Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically or cytologically proven stage I-III squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and gastro-esophageal junction Unidimensionally measurable disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Not specified Performance status: ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy:

At least 270 days Hematopoietic: WBC greater than 3,000/mm3 Granulocyte count greater than 1,000/mm3 Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm3 Hepatic: Bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and SGOT no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) Renal: Creatinine less than 2.0 mg/dL Creatinine clearance greater than 50 mL/min Cardiovascular: No serious cardiovascular disease that would preclude study Other: No prior or concurrent malignancy within past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer No serious chronic medical illness that would preclude study No acute or chronic unresolved infection Not pregnant

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: No prior chemotherapy Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: No prior radiotherapy Surgery: Not specified