Cetuximab, paclitaxel, cisplatin and concurrent radiation in Chinese patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: An open-label, multicenter, phase II study.

4073 Background: In China more than 90% of esophageal malignancies are of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We conducted this Chinese multicenter trial to determine the efficacy and safety of the addition of cetuximab with paclitaxel, cisplatin, and concurrent radiation for patients with esophageal SCC and to determine whether KRAS status predicts response. Methods: Patients with unresectable locally advanced cervical, upper or mid-esophageal SCC without distant metastasis were eligible for this open-label phase II trial. All patients received cetuximab (400 mg/m2 day 1 before chemoradiotherapy and 250 mg/m2 q1w × 7 weeks), paclitaxel (45 mg/m2 q1w × 7 weeks) and cisplatin (20 mg/m2 q1w × 7 weeks) with 59.4 Gy of radiation. The primary end point was response rate. Second end points included toxicity, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and KRAS mutation status. Results: Fifty-five patients were enrolled and evaluable to safety. Non-hematological adverse events were generally grade 1 or 2,...