Proton Beam Therapy in the Treatment of Esophageal Cancer

A Phase II Study of Proton Beam Therapy in the Treatment of Esophageal Cancer

The investigators plan to include both operable and inoperable patients with esophagus cancer in this prospective trial. Since both proton and photon treatments are biologically equivalent, the investigators do not expect a difference in tumor control compared to intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The investigators have a prospective experience of physician-reported toxicity and patient outcome using IMRT for patients with inoperable esophagus cancer that will serve as a comparison group. For the resectable patients receiving trimodality therapy (chemoradiation followed by surgery), the investigators will carefully track toxicity and patient outcomes prospectively. The central hypothesis is that the biologic efficacy for tumor control should be similar between protons and photons, and therefore survival measures should be similar between the two groups, but that the main difference lies in the total severe toxicities experienced by the patients undergoing therapy.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Esophageal Cancer; Cancer of the Esophagus; Esophagus Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Radiation: Proton beam therapy; Other: Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 22
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Missouri
    • St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
      • Washington University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histologically or cytologically documented adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the cervical or thoracic esophagus or gastroesophageal junction or cardia of stomach.
• Staged by PET/CT and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) or endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) OR CT w/contrast and EGD to have stage II or III disease per AJCC 7th edition guidelines
• Prior endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) with a diagnosis of stage II or III esophageal cancer (AJCC 7th edition) is eligible, irrespective of margin status.
• Induction chemotherapy prior to concurrent chemoradiation is allowed.
• Prior thoracic radiation is allowable if degree of overlap with the esophageal radiotherapy treatment is deemed to be safe by the treating radiation oncologist.
• At least 18 years of age.
• ECOG performance status < 2

• Normal bone marrow and organ function as defined below:

  • WBC > 2,500/mcL
  • Platelets > 75,000/mcl
  • Total bilirubin < 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (IULN)
  • AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) < 3.0 x IULN
  • Creatinine < 1.5 x IULN OR Creatinine clearance > 50 mL/min/1.73 m2 for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal
• Women of childbearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control, abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she must inform her treating physician immediately.
• Ability to understand and willingness to sign an IRB approved written informed consent document.
• English speaker.
• Financial coverage for proton therapy.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Planned treatment with radiation therapy alone without concurrent chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone.
• Previous or concomitant cancers within the past 3 years other than curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix, basal cell carcinoma of the skin, curative treatment for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, and low risk prostate cancer. Except for prostate cancer (which can be observed if low risk), other cancers listed must have been treated in the past 3 years without evidence of recurrence at the time of registration.
• Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia not controlled by pacer device, myocardial infarction within 3 months of registration, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
• Pregnant and/or breastfeeding. Patient must have a negative pregnancy test within 7 days of the start of treatment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm 1: Resectable (proton beam therapy); Proton beam therapy: total dose of 50 or 50.4 Gy; Standard of care chemotherapy - the clinical trial doesn't dictate anything about the chemotherapy given, it is the treating physician's decision; Surgery should ideally be performed no later than 8 to 10 weeks after completing chemoradiation; Patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) performed at several time points	Radiation: Proton beam therapy; The daily prescription dose will be 1.8 or 2 Gy RBE ("Relative Biologic Equivalence") to be delivered to the periphery of the planning target volume (PTV).; The Mevion S-250 Proton Radiation Beam Therapy System will be used.; Other Names: PBT; Other: Patient-Reported Outcome Measures; -Prior to start of therapy, end of chemoradiation (day of end of treatment or up to 1 week after), 8 weeks, 4, 6, 9, and 12-months following end of chemoradiation; Other Names: PROs
Experimental: Arm 2: Unresectable (proton beam therapy); Proton beam therapy: total dose of 59.4 or 60 Gy; Standard of care chemotherapy - the clinical trial doesn't dictate anything about the chemotherapy given, it is the treating physician's decision; Patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) performed at several time points	Radiation: Proton beam therapy; The daily prescription dose will be 1.8 or 2 Gy RBE ("Relative Biologic Equivalence") to be delivered to the periphery of the planning target volume (PTV).; The Mevion S-250 Proton Radiation Beam Therapy System will be used.; Other Names: PBT; Other: Patient-Reported Outcome Measures; -Prior to start of therapy, end of chemoradiation (day of end of treatment or up to 1 week after), 8 weeks, 4, 6, 9, and 12-months following end of chemoradiation; Other Names: PROs

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI)-Plus	The MDASI-Plus is a reliable, validated tool for assessing cancer-related symptoms regardless of therapy or specific cancer diagnosis. Patients are asked to fill out a twenty-seven question inventory. 21 questions ask the patient about the severity of their symptoms with answers ranging from 0=not present to 10=as bad as you can imagine. 6 questions ask the patient about how their symptoms interfered with their life with answers ranging from 0=did not interfere to 10=interfered completely. The higher the score the more severe symptom experience the patient experienced.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the EuroQol (EQ-5D) Questionnaire	The EQ-5D is a standardized 2-part, patient-administered instrument used for direct and indirect assessment of health state utilities. The first part asks respondents to "check the ONE box [next to the appropriate statement] that best describes your health TODAY" for each of 5 health dimensions, including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. The second part of the EQ-5D is a visual analogue scale (VAS) valuing current health state. Both the 5-item index score and the VAS score are transformed into a utility score between 0 "Worst health state" and 1 "Best health state. The higher the score the better health a patient experienced.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey	The 19-item MOS Social Support Survey was designed for use with patients with chronic diseases and measures how often different kinds of support are available, if needed. Response choices range from "none of the time" (1) to "all of the time" (5). A mean social support score for all 19 items is computed to a 0-100 scale with higher scores indicating a greater availability of social support.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the 4-Item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)	The CES-D questionnaire is a 20-item measure which evaluates depressive symptoms. This trial will make use of the validated 4-item screening version in order to reduce participant burden. Possible range of scores is 0-60, with the higher scores indicating the presence of more symptomatology.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI)-Plus	The MDASI-Plus is a reliable, validated tool for assessing cancer-related symptoms regardless of therapy or specific cancer diagnosis. Patients are asked to fill out a twenty-seven question inventory. 21 questions ask the patient about the severity of their symptoms with answers ranging from 0=not present to 10=as bad as you can imagine. 6 questions ask the patient about how their symptoms interfered with their life with answers ranging from 0=did not interfere to 10=interfered completely. The higher the score the more severe symptom experience the patient experienced.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the EuroQol (EQ-5D) Questionnaire	The EQ-5D is a standardized 2-part, patient-administered instrument used for direct and indirect assessment of health state utilities. The first part asks respondents to "check the ONE box [next to the appropriate statement] that best describes your health TODAY" for each of 5 health dimensions, including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. The second part of the EQ-5D is a visual analogue scale (VAS) valuing current health state. Both the 5-item index score and the VAS score are transformed into a utility score between 0 "Worst health state" and 1 "Best health state. The higher the score the better health a patient experienced.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey	The 19-item MOS Social Support Survey was designed for use with patients with chronic diseases and measures how often different kinds of support are available, if needed. Response choices range from "none of the time" (1) to "all of the time" (5). A mean social support score for all 19 items is computed to a 0-100 scale with higher scores indicating a greater availability of social support.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the 4-Item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)	The CES-D questionnaire is a 20-item measure which evaluates depressive symptoms. This trial will make use of the validated 4-item screening version in order to reduce participant burden. Possible range of scores is 0-60, with the higher scores indicating the presence of more symptomatology.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Physician-reported Toxicity of PBT for Esophageal Cancer	Number of participants with grade 3 or higher specific cardiac, metabolism/nutrition, gastrointestinal, respiratory/thoracic/mediastinal, and skin/subcutaneous toxicity using NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.03 related to PBT	Through 6 months following chemoradiation (estimated to be 9 months)
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Mental Component Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Higher scores indicate better quality of life. MCS scores from the SF-12 are recoded, weighted, and summed, and standardized by the SF-12 scoring procedure. SF-12 is a licensed product and this procedure is implemented in the QualityMetric PRO CoRE software package. MCS range is 40-65.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Physical Component Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Higher scores indicate better quality of life. PCS scores from the SF-12 are recoded, weighted, and summed, and standardized by the SF-12 scoring procedure. SF-12 is a licensed product and this procedure is implemented in the QualityMetric PRO CoRE software package. PCS range is 30-55.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Physical Component Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Higher scores indicate better quality of life. PCS scores from the SF-12 are recoded, weighted, and summed, and standardized by the SF-12 scoring procedure. SF-12 is a licensed product and this procedure is implemented in the QualityMetric PRO CoRE software package. PCS range is 30-55.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Mental Component Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Higher scores indicate better quality of life. MCS scores from the SF-12 are recoded, weighted, and summed, and standardized by the SF-12 scoring procedure. SF-12 is a licensed product and this procedure is implemented in the QualityMetric PRO CoRE software package. MCS range is 40-65.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - General Health Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Lower mean scores indicate better quality of life. The subscales are calculated by recoding and averaging the raw scores (Likert scales) the questions associated with the subscale. Range of 1-5.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Physical Function Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Higher mean scores indicate better quality of life. The subscales are calculated by recoding and averaging the raw scores (Likert scales) the questions associated with the subscale. Range of 1-3.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Physical Role Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Higher mean scores indicate better quality of life. The subscales are calculated by recoding and averaging the raw scores (Likert scales) the questions associated with the subscale. Range of 1-2.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Emotional Role Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Higher mean scores indicate better quality of life. The subscales are calculated by recoding and averaging the raw scores (Likert scales) the questions associated with the subscale. Range of 1-2.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Bodily Pain Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Lower mean scores indicate better quality of life. The subscales are calculated by recoding and averaging the raw scores (Likert scales) the questions associated with the subscale. Range of 1-5.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Mental Health Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Lower mean scores indicate better quality of life. The subscales are calculated by recoding and averaging the raw scores (Likert scales) the questions associated with the subscale. Range of 1-6.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Vitality Health Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Lower mean scores indicate better quality of life. The subscales are calculated by recoding and averaging the raw scores (Likert scales) the questions associated with the subscale. Range of 1-6.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months
Change in Patient-reported Outcomes of PBT for Esophageal Cancer as Measured by the SF-12 Questionnaire - Social Functioning Score	The SF-12 will be measured at each of 7 interviews, and mental and physical component scores will be calculated in addition to calculating the measure's eight individual subscales (physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, body pain, general health, role limitations due to emotional problems general health, vitality, and mental health). Higher mean scores indicate better quality of life. The subscales are calculated by recoding and averaging the raw scores (Likert scales) the questions associated with the subscale. Range of 1-5.	Baseline, post completion of chemoradiation, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progression-free Survival (PFS) of Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) for Patients With Resectable	-PFS is defined as the duration of time from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first.	5 years following chemoradiation (estimated to be 5 years and 3 months)
Overall Survival (OS)of PBT for Patients With Resectable Versus Unresectable Esophageal		5 years following chemoradiation (estimated to be 5 years and 3 months)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Gregory Vlacich, M.D., Ph.D., Washington University School of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 19, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 13, 2022
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 9, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 15, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 22, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): March 29, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 2, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Esophageal Diseases; Esophageal Neoplasms; Health Services Administration; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Investigative Techniques; Epidemiologic Methods; Therapeutics; Data Collection; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Public Health; Environment and Public Health; Health Care Economics and Organizations; Radiotherapy; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; Surveys and Questionnaires; Health Planning; Heavy Ion Radiotherapy; Health Care Surveys; Health Services Research; Patient Outcome Assessment; Proton Therapy; Patient Reported Outcome Measures
• Other Study ID Numbers: 201803092

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No