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Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 2INTERVENTIONAL

A Trial of Palliative Chemotherapy, Radiation and Immune Treatment for Oesophageal Cancer: PALEO Study

PALEO: Phase II Clinical Trial of Chemoradioimmunotherapy for the ALleviation of oEsOphageal Cancer Complications

A Trial of Palliative Chemotherapy, Radiation and Immune Treatment for Oesophageal Cancer: PALEO Study (NCT06290505) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Esophageal Cancer, sponsored by Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the addition of the stereotactic body radiotherapy and durvalumab to a well tolerated 2 week chemotherapy and radiation treatment regimen in people with esophageal cancer that is locally advanced or has spread to another area of the body (metastasized).

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Esophageal Cancer and continue monitoring side effects. Phase 2 enrolls larger groups (typically 100–300 patients) and produces the first real efficacy signal. A successful Phase 2 readout is what unlocks the much larger Phase 3 confirmatory trials needed for FDA approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

Target enrollment of 54 participants puts this in the typical range for a Phase 2-style efficacy study or a moderate Phase 3 trial in a focused Esophageal Cancer subpopulation. At this scale, the study has enough statistical power to detect a clear treatment effect but is not the largest cohort in the field.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: 1. Males and females \> 18 years of age. 2. Biopsy proven adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus or gastro-oesophageal junction 3. Oligometastatic disease (1-5 lesions outside the primary tumour radiotherapy field on FDG-PET scan), or locoregionally advanced disease unsuitable for either surgical resection or radical chemoradiotherapy 4. Symptomatic dysphagia (Mellow score greater than 0) 5. You should be able to carry out daily activities with 0 level of ability (ECOG 0)-2 6. Anticipated expected to live at least 12 weeks. 7. Body weight of greater than 30kg. 8. Adequate bone marrow function, with values within the ranges specified below. Blood transfusions are permissible. 1. White blood cell count greater than or equal to 2 x (10 to the power of 9)/L 2. Absolute neutrophil count greater than or equal to 1.5 x (10 to the power of 9)/L 3. Platelets greater than or equal to 100 x (10 to the power of 9)/L 4. Haemoglobin greater than or equal to 90g/L 9. Adequate liver function, with values within the ranges specified below: 1. Alanine transferase less than or equal to 2.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) 2. Aspartate transferase less than or equal to 2.5 x ULN 3. Total bilirubin less than or equal to 1.5 x ULN (except patients with Gilbert's Syndrome, who can have total bilirubin less than or equal to 5 x ULN) 10. Adequate renal function, with values within the ranges specified below. Note that an estimated renal function of greater than 125mL/min by the Cockroft-Gault formula must not be used for carboplatin dosing, and must instead be determined using a direct method. 1. Serum creatinine less than or equal to 1.5 x ULN 2. Creatinine clearance (CrCl) greater than or equal to 40 mL/min using Cockroft-Gault formula ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Males and females \> 18 years of age. 2. Biopsy proven adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus or gastro-oesophageal junction 3. Oligometastatic disease (1-5 lesions outside the primary tumour radiotherapy field on FDG-PET scan), or locoregionally advanced disease unsuitable for either surgical resection or radical chemoradiotherapy 4. Symptomatic dysphagia (Mellow score greater than 0) 5. ECOG performance status 0-2 6. Anticipated life expectancy of greater than 12 weeks. 7. Body weight of greater than 30kg. 8. Adequate bone marrow function, with values within the ranges specified below. Blood transfusions are permissible. 1. White blood cell count greater than or equal to 2 x (10 to the power of 9)/L 2. Absolute neutrophil count greater than or equal to 1.5 x (10 to the power of 9)/L 3. Platelets greater than or equal to 100 x (10 to the power of 9)/L 4. Haemoglobin greater than or equal to 90g/L 9. Adequate liver function, with values within the ranges specified below: 1. Alanine transferase less than or equal to 2.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) 2. Aspartate transferase less than or equal to 2.5 x ULN 3. Total bilirubin less than or equal to 1.5 x ULN (except patients with Gilbert's Syndrome, who can have total bilirubin less than or equal to 5 x ULN) 10. Adequate renal function, with values within the ranges specified below. Note that an estimated renal function of greater than 125mL/min by the Cockroft-Gault formula must not be used for carboplatin dosing, and must instead be determined using a direct method. 1. Serum creatinine less than or equal to 1.5 x ULN 2. Creatinine clearance (CrCl) greater than or equal to 40 mL/min using Cockroft-Gault formula 11. Tumour tissue (formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded) should be available for PD-L1 and mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression and can be provided as a block or slides (archival tissue is acceptable). Blocks prepared from cytological samples, where tumour cell number is sufficient, are also acceptable. Patients will not be selected by PD-L1 or MMR status. 12. Willing and able to comply with all study requirements, including treatment, timing and/or nature of required assessments. 13. Signed, written and informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Bulky or organ-threatening metastatic disease requiring upfront higher dose chemotherapy in the judgement of the treating clinician. 2. Known tumour HER2 positivity (IHC 2+ or more and HER2 gene amplification on in situ hybridisation) if oligometastatic disease. 3. Previous systemic therapy for oesophageal or GOJ carcinoma. 4. Previous thoracic radiotherapy. Prior palliative radiotherapy to bony metastases is permitted. 5. Esophageal stent in situ. 6. Known tracheo-oesophageal fistula. 7. Known leptomeningeal or brain metastases. 8. Major surgical procedure (as defined by the Investigator) within 28 days prior to first day of study treatment. Note: Local surgery of isolated lesions for palliative intent is permitted. 9. History of another malignancy within the last 3 years, with the exception of adequately treated non-melanomatous skin cancer, carcinoma in situ and superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. 10. Prior therapy with an anti-PD1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2, anti-CTLA-4 antibody, or any other antibody or drug specifically targeting T cell co-stimulation or immune checkpoint pathways. 11. Sensory neuropathy of grade 2 or higher severity per CTCAE v5.0. 12. History of allergy or hypersensitivity to study drug components, or other contraindications to any of the study drugs. Active or prior documented autoimmune disorders (including inflammatory bowel disease \[e.g., ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease\], systemic lupus erythematosus, Sarcoidosis syndrome, or Wegener syndrome \[granulomatosis with polyangiitis\], Graves' disease, rheumatoid arthritis, hypophysitis, uveitis, etc). Patients with the following conditions are exceptions to this criterion: 1. Vitiligo or alopecia. 2. Hypothyroidism (e.g., following Hashimoto syndrome) stable on thyroid hormone replacement. 3. Any chronic skin condition (e.g. psoriasis) that does not require systemic therapy. 4. Type 1 diabetes mellitus. 5. Coeliac disease controlled by diet alone. Patients without active autoimmune disease in the last 5 years may also be included but only after consultation with the Chief Principal Investigators. 13. Any condition requiring continuous systemic treatment with either regular corticosteroids (\>10mg daily prednisone or equivalent dose of an alternative corticosteroid) or other immunosuppressive medications within 14 days of study drug administration. Intranasal, inhaled or topical steroids, and adrenal replacement steroid doses \>10mg daily oral prednisone equivalent, are permitted in the absence of active autoimmune disease. 14. Positive test for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) indicating acute or chronic infection. Participants with a past or resolved HBV infection (defined as the presence of anti-HBc and absence of HBsAg) are eligible. 15. Positive test for hepatitis C virus antibody (HCV antibody) , unless polymerase chain reaction is negative for HCV RNA. 16. History of other significant, or active, infection, including HIV or tuberculosis (TB). HIV testing is not mandatory unless clinically indicated. Clinical evaluation for active TB may include clinical history, physical examination and radiographic findings, or tuberculosis testing in line with local practice. 17. Receipt of a transplanted solid organ (kidney, liver, heart or lung) or of an allogeneic bone marrow transplant. 18. Receipt of a live attenuated vaccine within 30 days prior to registration. 19. Use of alternative or traditional medicines within 14 days prior to registration. 20. Uncontrolled intercurrent illness, including but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, interstitial lung disease, serious chronic gastrointestinal conditions associated with diarrhea, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirement, substantially increase risk of incurring adverse events or compromise the ability of the patient to give written informed consent. 21. Pregnancy, lactation, or inadequate contraception. Women must be post-menopausal, infertile, or use a reliable means of contraception to avoid pregnancy for 90 days after the last dose of durvalumab. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test within 24 hours prior to trial registration. Men must have been surgically sterilized or use a double barrier method of contraception if they are sexually active with a woman of childbearing potential for a period of 180 days after the last dose of durvalumab and chemotherapy, or 90 days after the last dose of durvalumab monotherapy (whichever is the longer time period). Sperm donation is not permitted for 180 days after the last dose of durvalumab and chemotherapy, or 90 days after the last dose of durvalumab monotherapy (whichever is the longer time period).

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

Durvalumab

Durvalumab will be supplied by AstraZeneca as a 500 mg vial concentrate for solution for infusion. The solution contains 50 mg/mL durvalumab, 26 mM histidine/histidine-hydrochloride, 275 mM trehalose dihydrate, and 0.02% weight/volume (w/v) polysorbate 80; it has a pH of 6.0 and density of 1.054 g/mL. The label-claim volume is 10 mL. Durvalumab is a sterile, clear to opalescent, colorless to slightly yellow solution, free from visible particles. Investigational product vials are stored at 2°C to 8°C and must not be frozen. Investigational product must be kept in original packaging until use to prevent prolonged light exposure.

Locations (9)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

Canberra Hospital
Garran, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Border Medical Oncology
Albury, New South Wales, Australia
Calvary Mater Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
Herston, Queensland, Australia
Flinders Medical Centre
Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
St Vincent's Hospital
Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
Auckland Hospital
Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06290505), the sponsor (Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06290505 clinical trial studying?

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the addition of the stereotactic body radiotherapy and durvalumab to a well tolerated 2 week chemotherapy and radiation treatment regimen in people with esophageal cancer that is locally advanced or has spread to another area of the body (metastasized). The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06290505?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06290505?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06290505. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06290505. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.