Volume 70, Issue 2 , Pages 391-395, 1 February 2008
Cetuximab With Concurrent Chemoradiation for Esophagogastric Cancer: Assessment of Toxicity
Purpose
To determine the feasibility and toxicity of the addition of cetuximab with paclitaxel, carboplatin, and radiation for patients with esophagogastric cancer on a Phase II study.
Methods and Materials
Patients with locoregional esophageal and proximal gastric cancer without distant organ metastases were eligible. All patients received cetuximab, paclitaxel, and carboplatin weekly for 6 weeks with 50.4 Gy radiation.
Results
Sixty patients were enrolled, 57 with esophageal cancer and 3 with gastric cancer. Forty-eight had adenocarcinoma and 12 had squamous cell cancer. Fourteen of 60 patients (23%) had Grade 3 dermatologic toxicity consisting of a painful, pruritic acneiform rash on the face outside of the radiation field. The rates of Grades 3 and 4 esophagitis were 12% and 3%, respectively. Three patients had Grade 3/4 cetuximab hypersensitivity reactions and were not assessable for response. Forty of 57 patients (70%) had a complete clinical response after chemoradiation.
Conclusion
Cetuximab can be safely administered with chemoradiation for esophageal cancer. Dermatologic toxicity and hypersensitivity reactions were associated with the addition of cetuximab. There was no increase in esophagitis or other radiation-enhanced toxicity.
Cetuximab, Esophageal cancer, Radiation
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Presented in part at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), November 5–9, 2006, Philadelphia, PA.
Dr. Safran and Dr. Mohan report receiving grant support and honoraria from Bristol-Myers in the amount of less than $100,000. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.
PII: S0360-3016(07)03668-1
doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.07.2325
© 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Volume 70, Issue 2 , Pages 391-395, 1 February 2008
