New combo therapy aims to ease swallowing in incurable esophageal cancer
NCT ID NCT02297217
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial is testing whether adding two chemotherapy drugs (carboplatin and paclitaxel) to standard palliative radiation can better relieve difficulty swallowing in people with incurable esophageal cancer. The study enrolls 50 patients who have trouble swallowing solid foods. The main goal is to see if more patients get lasting improvement in swallowing compared to radiation alone.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Carboplatin and paclitaxel (chemotherapy drugs) plus external beam radiation
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this combination could provide better relief from difficulty swallowing and improve quality of life for people with incurable esophageal cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study with only 50 participants. The added chemotherapy may increase side effects without guaranteeing better symptom relief.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2019
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Biopsy proven carcinoma of the esophagus. 2. Not a candidate for radical/curative treatment due to the advanced nature of the disease, presence of metastases, or intercurrent illness. 3. Symptomatic patients with Mellow Dysphagia Scores of ≥ 1 i.e. able to eat only some solids. 4. ECOG Performance status ≤ 2. 5. Patients able to begin treatment within 14 days of signing the informed consent form. 6. Patient is at least 18 years old. 7. Hematological function as defined by the following laboratory parameters: * Hemoglobin \> 100g/L * Platelet count \> 100x10E9/L * Absolute neutrophil count \> 1.5x10E9/L 8. Renal function to undergo chemotherapy as defined by the following laboratory parameters: * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5x the upper limit of institutional normal (≤ 5 if liver metastases) * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5x the upper limit of institutional normal * Calculated creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min using the Cockcroft-Gault formula 9. Patients capable of childbearing are using adequate contraception. 10. Written and informed consent of patient. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Previous radiotherapy delivered to the chest. 2. Synchronous active malignancies. 3. Pregnant or lactating patients: women of child bearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 7 days of Treatment Visit 1. Women or men of child bearing potential must use effective contraception (defined by the use of two birth control methods, which can be either two barrier methods or a barrier method plus a hormonal method to prevent pregnancy). Subjects must start using birth control from the time they have signed the Informed Consent Form prior to start of therapy until 120 days post completion of study therapy or study discontinuation, which must be documented in the eCRF. 4. Patients unfit for any treatment component, including absolute contraindications for radiotherapy or Connective Tissue Disease. 5. Tracheo-esophageal fistula. 6. Esophageal stents in situ. 7. Previous chemotherapy for esophageal cancer 8. Unable to complete surveys in English without aid of interpreter.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Tom Baker Cancer Centre
RECRUITINGCalgary, Alberta, T2N 4N2, Canada
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