Chemotherapy of oesophago-gastric cancer

A phase II study of gefitinib monotherapy in advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma: evidence of gene expression, cellular, and clinical response

PURPOSE

At presentation, most cases of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus (ACE) are inoperable. Although chemotherapy can prolong survival, patients eventually die as a result of refractory disease. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is almost universally expressed in ACE and is a negative prognostic factor.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

This open-label, two-center, noncomparative, two-part phase II trial assessed the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib (500 mg/d) in patients with advanced, inoperable ACE. The primary end point was tumor response. The effect of EGFR inhibition was also evaluated by gene expression analysis of tumor biopsies taken before gefitinib treatment and 28 days after.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven patients were recruited and evaluable for tumor response and safety. Three patients had a partial response and seven had stable disease, giving a disease control rate (partial response + stable disease) of 37%. Drug-related adverse events were generally mild: diarrhea in 19 (grade 3 in three) and rash in 19 (grade 3 in five) patients, and there were no grade 4 drug-related adverse events. Microarray experiments on tumor biopsies showed that gefitinib also down-regulated oncogenes associated with tumor progression. Ki67 (a marker of tumor growth) expression decreased in five of seven biopsies taken before and after treatment.

CONCLUSION

Gefitinib (500 mg/d) is an active and generally well-tolerated treatment for ACE. Studies on endoscopic biopsies are feasible and indicate that gefitinib inhibits both gene expression and cellular biology at 500 mg/d, and these may provide surrogate end points for predictive biomarkers. Further trials of gefitinib are warranted, particularly as patient response seems to be durable and current second-line chemotherapy options have no proven ability to prolong life.

Chest pain following oesophageal stenting for malignant dysphagia

AIM

The palliative use of self-expanding metallic stents has been widely reported to relieve dysphagia in cases of oesophageal carcinoma. Little has been documented on the severity of chest pain following oesophageal stenting. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of pain with oesophageal stenting for malignant dysphagia.

METHODS

Fifty-two patients with inoperable oesophageal carcinoma underwent stent placement between 1995-1999. Daily opioid analgesic requirements (mg of morphine equivalent doses) were monitored for 3 days before and 7 days after stenting. The degree of palliation was expressed as a dysphagia score (0-3). Hospital stay, readmission days, stent complications and patient survival time were also recorded.

RESULTS

Twenty-six patients (50%) required opioid analgesia for chest pain (median dose: 80 mg morphine/day) within 48 h of the procedure compared to 11 (21.2%) patients before stenting (P = 0.0041). A significant increase was evident in the analgesic consumption following stent deployment (P < 0.001). The dysphagia score improved by a median value of 1 (CI 0.25)P < 0.001, with a re-intervention rate of 11.5%. The median survival time was 40 days post stenting (range 1-120).

CONCLUSION

A significant proportion of patients developed chest pain after oesophageal stenting, requiring high dose opioid analgesia. As the origin of the pain is still unknown, pre-emptive analgesia may a play role in reducing stent-related morbidity and possibly in-hospital stay.