Chemotherapy & Erlotinib in Treating Patients w/ Esophageal or Gastroesophageal Cancer That Cannot Be Removed by Surgery

More than 50% of patients with advanced esophageal cancer present with disease that cannot be removed by surgery or has spread to other parts of the body. Improved therapies for patients with advanced esophageal cancer are therefore urgently needed. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor erlotinib (in combination with chemotherapy) has lead to improved survival in patients with pancreatic and lung cancer. EGFR is a target in esophageal cancer therapy since its overexpression is associated with more aggressive disease and poor survival. Early studies have shown some clinical activity of EGFR inhibitors in this disease alone or in combination with chemotherapy. This study aims to explore how safe and effective treatment with erlotinib and FOLFOX is in patients with advanced esophageal or gastro-esophageal cancer.