Epirubicin, Oxaliplatin and Fluorouracil (EOF) in Cancer of the Esophagus, Gastroesophageal Junction, or Stomach

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To assess the feasibility and tolerability of induction chemotherapy comprising epirubicin hydrochloride, oxaliplatin, and fluorouracil (EOF), followed by surgical resection and postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy comprising fluorouracil and cisplatin in patients with locoregionally advanced adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, gastroesophageal junction, or gastric cardia. Secondary * To determine the rate of complete and partial response to three courses of EOF induction chemotherapy. * To compare the recurrence-free and overall survival of patients treated with this regimen vs historical controls at this institution. * To compare patterns of failure in patients treated with this regimen vs historical controls at this institution. OUTLINE: * Induction chemotherapy: Patients receive epirubicin hydrochloride IV over 3-15 minutes and oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours on day 1 and fluorouracil IV continuously on days 1-21. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. * Surgery: Four weeks after completion of induction chemotherapy, patients with locoregionally confined disease (T0-4, N0-1, M0-1a) undergo transthoracic esophagogastrectomy or total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy, depending on the location and extent of the tumor at the time of surgery. * Postoperative chemoradiotherapy: Beginning 6-10 weeks after surgery, patients undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for approximately 6 weeks. Patients also receive fluorouracil IV continuously and cisplatin IV continuously over 96 hours in weeks 1 and 4 of radiotherapy. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed every 8-12 weeks for 3 years.