RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy with and without fluorouracil in treating patients who have cancer of the esophagus or stomach.

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the survival and failure patterns in patients with previously untreated carcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction treated with cisplatin, paclitaxel, and concurrent radiotherapy with or without fluorouracil.
• Compare the tolerance of these regimens by these patients.
• Compare the overall quality of life of patients treated with these regimens.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to percentage of weight loss (less than 10% vs 10% or more), disease histology (adenocarcinoma vs squamous cell carcinoma), and lesion size (no more than 5 cm vs more than 5 cm). Patients are randomized to one of two treatment arms.

• Arm I: Patients receive induction chemotherapy comprising fluorouracil IV continuously over 24 hours and cisplatin IV over 1 hour on days 1-5, paclitaxel IV continuously over 24 hours on day 1, and filgrastim (G-CSF) subcutaneously daily on days 6-15. Treatment repeats every 4 weeks for up to 2 courses. Patients with stable or responsive disease after the first course of induction therapy receive a second course of therapy. Patients with local disease progression after the first course proceed to chemoradiotherapy.

Beginning on day 29 of the last course of induction chemotherapy, patients undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for 5.5 weeks. Patients also receive fluorouracil IV continuously over 24 hours on days 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, 22-26, and 29-33, and paclitaxel IV over 3 hours on days 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29.

• Arm II: Patients receive induction chemotherapy comprising cisplatin IV and paclitaxel IV over 3 hours on day 1. Treatment continues every 3 weeks for 2 courses as in arm I.

Beginning on day 29 of the last course of induction chemotherapy, patients undergo radiotherapy as in arm I. Patients also receive cisplatin IV on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36, and paclitaxel IV continuously over 96 hours on days 1-4, 8-11, 15-18, 22-25, 29-32, and 36-39.

Quality of life is assessed at baseline, within 1 week after radiotherapy, at 6 weeks after study completion, every 4 months for 1 year, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually for 5 years.

Patients are followed within 8 weeks, every 4 months for 1 year, every 6 months for two years, and then annually thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 84 patients (42 per treatment arm) will be accrued for this study within 21 months.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed primary squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction

  • Stage I-III (T1, N1, M0; T2-4, N any, M0)

    • Supraclavicular or celiac lymph node involvement allowed

• Disease entirely confined to the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction and peri-esophageal soft tissue

• Cervical esophageal carcinoma allowed

• No tumor extension beyond 2 cm into stomach

• No multiple primary carcinomas of the esophagus

• No evidence of disseminated cancer

• No tracheoesophageal fistula or direct invasion into the mucosa of the trachea or major bronchi

  • Bronchoscopy with biopsy and cytology required if the primary carcinoma is less than 26 cm from the incisors or is at or above the carina by imaging study

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• Not specified

Performance status:

• Zubrod 0-1

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 150,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• Creatinine clearance at least 65 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

• No uncontrolled heart disease
• No uncontrolled hypertension

Other:

• Total oral/enteral intake must be at least 1,700 kCal/day
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No uncontrolled diabetes
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Not specified

Chemotherapy:

• No prior systemic chemotherapy
• No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• No prior chest radiotherapy

Surgery:

• No prior major esophageal surgery