Pre-operative Chemo (CPT11, Cisplatin), Radiotherapy, Plus Surgery for Resectable Esophageal Cancer

Cancer of the esophagus is a very serious cancer. Studies have shown that using chemotherapy and radiation before surgery is the most promising treatment approach, with one quarter to one half of tumors shrinking by 50% or more in size after chemotherapy and radiation. In patients who have a very good response to this treatment, survival following esophagectomy has increased, although the amount of increase has varied quite a bit between the different studies. Older studies have used the drugs Cisplatin and 5-fluoruracil. Although this combination of drugs has been beneficial, we wish to use a newer combination of drugs which may be more effective for esophageal cancer. The chemotherapy drugs used in this study are Cisplatin and Irinotecan. We also want to find out what side effects these drugs cause when given with radiation, and how often these side effects occur.