Concurrent radiotherapy with gefitinib in elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Preliminary results of a phase II study.

e15032 Background: Esophageal cancer has a very poor survival rate. This study investigated the efficacy of gefitinib in combination with radiation in 20 elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who were not eligible for platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods: A single center, non-randomized phase II study was conducted for open-label gefitinib with radiotherapy as a definite treatment for esophageal SCC in elderly patients at a daily oral dose of 250 mg gefitinib for 2 months and radiotherapy starting on day 1. Immunohistochemistry was performed to analyze EGFR expression, and the amplified refractory mutation system was used to detect EGFR mutations. Treatment response was assessed by endoscopy and computed tomography. Treatment toxicity was evaluated using the National Cancer Institute’s Common Toxicity Criteria. Results: The data showed that among these 20 patients, 5 experienced a complete response (CR), 13 a partial response (PR), and 2 had stable disease. The overall response r...