Cetuximab, Paclitaxel, Carboplatin & Radiation for Esoph, Gastroesoph & Gastric Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients are required to have pathologically confirmed adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, gastroesophageal junction, or stomach.
• Patients may have mediastinal, celiac adenopathy, peri-portal and regional gastric lymphadenopathy.
• There must be no evidence of distant organ metastases.
• No prior radiation for gastric or esophageal cancer.
• Patients must be > 18 years of age, and nonpregnant
• Patients must have an ANC > 1,500/ul, platelets > 100,000/ul, creatinine < 2 x upper limit normal (ULN) and bilirubin < 1.5 x ULN, and AST < 3 x ULN.
• ECOG performance status 0-2.
• Patients must not have significant infection or other coexistent medical condition that would preclude protocol therapy.
• Female patients, must either be not of child bearing potential or have a negative pregnancy test within 7 days of starting study treatment. Patients are considered not of child bearing potential if they are surgically sterile (they have undergone a hysterectomy, bilateral tubal ligation, or bilateral oophorectomy) or they are postmenopausal. Pregnant or lactating females are not eligible.
• All patients must sign informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

Any of the following criteria will make the patient ineligible to participate in this study:

• Acute hepatitis or AIDS.
• Active or uncontrolled infection.
• Significant history of uncontrolled cardiac disease; i.e., uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina, recent myocardial infarction (within prior 6 months), uncontrolled congestive heart failure, and cardiomyopathy with decreased ejection fraction.
• Prior therapy which specifically and directly targets the EGFR pathway.
• Prior severe infusion reaction to a monoclonal antibody.
• Any concurrent chemotherapy not indicated in the study protocol or any other investigational agent(s).