Phase II study of concurrent chemoradiation in combination with erlotinib for locally advanced esophageal carcinoma

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of concurrent chemoradiation in combination with erlotinib for locally advanced esophageal carcinoma.

Methods and materials: Twenty-four patients with locally advanced esophageal carcinoma were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. A daily fraction of 2.0 Gy was prescribed to a total dose of 60 Gy over 6 weeks. Concurrent paclitaxel (135 mg/m(2), d(1)) and cisplatin (20 mg/m(2), d(1-3)) were administered on Day 1 and Day 29 of the radiotherapy. Erlotinib, an oral epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was taken by every patient at the dose of 150 mg daily during the chemoradiotherapy.

Results: The median follow-up of the 24 patients was 18.6 months (range, 7.1-29.6 months). The 2-year overall survival, local-regional control, and relapse-free survival were 70.1% (95% CI, 50.4-90%), 87.5% (95% CI, 73.5-100%), and 57.4% (95% CI, 36.3-78.7%), respectively. During the chemoradiotherapy, the incidences of acute toxicities of Grade 3 or greater, such as leucopenia and thrombocytopenia, were 16.7 % (4/24) and 8.3% (2/24).

Conclusions: Application of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in combination with erlotinib for locally advanced esophageal carcinoma yielded satisfactory 2-year overall survival and local-regional control. The toxicities were well tolerated.