A Trial of a New Type of Photodynamic Therapy (VTP) in the Treatment of Patients With Cancer of the Esophagus Who Have Trouble Swallowing

April 13, 2026 updated by: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

A Phase I Trial of Vascular-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy in Esophagogastric Cancer Patients With Moderate to Severe Dysphagia

The purpose of this study is to establish the highest dose of laser light for WST-11 VTP to treat obstruction from esophageal cancer that can be safely given.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
12

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Israel
      • Rehovot, Israel
        • Weizmann Institute of Science
  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10021
        • Memorial Sloan - Kettering Cancer Center
      • New York, New York, United States, 10021
        • Weill Cornell Medical Center (Data Analysis Only)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 or older
  • Confirmed tissue diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell cancer, adenocarcinoma or poorly differentiated carcinoma, with pathology reviewed at MSKCC

  • Has incurable disease defined as at least one of the following:

    • Presence of metastases to other organs (Stage IV), now or previously
    • Has locally advanced disease and are not candidates for surgery or more radiation treatment
    • Has received the maximal radiation therapy to the primary site, or has been assessed by radiation oncology as not being a candidate for chemoradiation therapy.
  • Karnofsky performance status >/= 50%
  • No endoluminal stent in place at the time of treatment
  • Previous esophageal dilation is permitted, provided the patient has developed recurrent dysphagia since that procedure
  • Patients should not have received any systemic therapy (including chemotherapy, biologic therapy or immunotherapy) </= 7 days prior to treatment
  • Prior radiation or surgery to the esophagus is permitted for patients with locally recurrent/persistent disease
  • Patients on prophylactic or full-dose anticoagulation are eligible, provided the treating physician believes it is safe to temporarily withhold anticoagulation (see Section 9.2)

  • Adequate organ function defined at baseline as:

    • ANC ≥1,000/ L
    • Platelets ≥75,000/ L
    • Hb ≥8.5 g/dl
    • INR ≤1.5 (except for patients who are on full-dose warfarin)
    • Calculated creatinine clearance ≥50 ml/min (using Cockcroft-Gault method)
    • Total serum bilirubin ≤1.5 mg/dL, or </= 2.5 mg/dL for patients with a known history of Gilbert's syndrome
    • AST/ALT ≤5× upper limit of normal
  • Able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or breast-feeding women. Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must undergo a negative pregnancy test (either serum or urine) prior to study entry. Both sexes must use contraception while on study. WOCBP include:

    • Any woman who has experienced menarche and who has not undergone surgical sterilization (hysterectomy, bilateral tubal ligation or oophorectomy) or who is not post-menopausal (defined as amenorrheic ≥12 consecutive months)
    • Women on hormone replacement therapy with documented serum follicle stimulating hormone level > 35 mIU/ml
    • Women who are using oral, implanted or injectable contraceptive hormones or mechanical products such as intrauterine device or barrier methods to prevent pregnancy or are practicing abstinence of where the partner is sterile
  • T4 tumors with involvement of any adjacent structure, including the trachea, aorta or pleura
  • Prior history of esophageal perforation
  • Any other medical or psychiatric comorbidities, including decompensated heart failure, unstable angina or coronary artery disease or severe pulmonary disease, that, in the opinion of the study investigator, would make the patient a poor candidate for the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) using WST11
Participants will receive intravenous administration of WST11 at a dose of 4 mg/kg, infused over 10 minutes, during an endoscopy procedure, followed by immediate laser light application.
Drug: WST 11-mediated VTP therapy
Administration of WST11 in conjunction with endoscopic illumination at 753 nm emitted by a diode laser and administered to the participant by optical fibre catheters (cylindrical light diffusers) and a standard upper GI endoscope.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Maximum tolerated laser fluence rate
Time Frame: 60 days
The maximally tolerated laser light fluence rate (mW/cm) of light exposure for VTP of malignant obstruction due to esophagogastric cancer will be measured by examining 6 fluence rates beginning with a fluence rate of 150 nW/cm, then increasing by 50mW/cm, up to a maximum of 400 mW/cm (150, 200, 250 300, 350, 400).
60 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Weizmann Institute of Science
Steba Biotech S.A.

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Hans Gerdes, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 26, 2017

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 23, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 23, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 26, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 26, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 28, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 13, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 15-319

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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