Efficacy and safety of weekly nab-paclitaxel plus cisplatin with concurrent intensity-modulated radiotherapy in patients with inoperable, locally advanced esophageal cancer: a pilot trial

BACKGROUND: Nab-paclitaxel is produced by the combination of paclitaxel particles with human serum albumin. Encouraging efficacy has been observed with nab-paclitaxel-based chemotherapy in a variety of solid tumors. The aim of the study reported here was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of weekly nab-paclitaxel plus cisplatin with concurrent intensity-modulated radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. METHODS: Seventeen patients with esophageal cancer were enrolled between July 2014 and December 2015.The treatment included radical radiotherapy (95% planning target volume 60Gy/30f) and concurrent chemotherapy comprising nab-paclitaxel 60mg/m(2)/week plus cisplatin 25mg/m(2)/week, administered on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of each 28-day cycle. The end point of this study included objective response rate (ORR), local-recurrence free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: All the patients enrolled in the trial had squamous cell carcinoma. The median follow-up duration was 20.47 months. The ORR was 88.2%. LRFS, DMFS, PFS and OS at 3 years were 61%, 40%, 17% and 35%, respectively. The trial regimen was well tolerated, with grade 3–4 myelosupression, grade 3 radioactive esophagitis, and grade 3 radiation pneumonitis rates of 17.6%, 17.6%, and 11.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Weekly nab-paclitaxel plus cisplatin with concurrent intensity-modulated radiotherapy is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for inoperable, locally advanced squamous cancer of esophageal.