A phase II trial of interferon alpha-2A, 5-fluorouracil, and cisplatin in patients with advanced esophageal carcinoma

Abstract

In this Phase II trial, the combination of IFN-alpha, 5-FU, and cisplatin had substantial antitumor activity in esophageal carcinoma with apparently greater antitumor activity in epidermoid carcinoma than adenocarcinoma. A larger confirmatory trial comparing this treatment to conventional 5-FU and cisplatin is warranted for epidermoid carcinoma. In future chemotherapy trials, the response assessment for epidermoid and adenocarcinoma should continue to be stratified.