Phase II Trial of Docetaxel and Carboplatin in Patients With Advanced Squamous Carcinoma of the Esophagus (E2298): A Trial of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.

Background: Occasional complete responses have been reported in patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the esophagus treated with carboplatin, and the inferior outcomes seen in early studies might have been the result of underdosing using BSA calculations. Docetaxel was reported to have single-agent activity in squamous-cell carcinoma of the esophagus, with a 50% response rate in a pilot study performed in South Africa. Thus, ECOG investigated the potential role of combination carboplatin using AUC-based dosing and docetaxel in patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the esophagus.