Propranolol in Combination With Pembrolizumab and Standard Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Unresectable Locally Advanced or Metastatic Esophageal or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma

This phase II trial tests what effects the addition of propranolol to pembrolizumab and standard chemotherapy (mFOLFOX) may have on response to treatment in patients with esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer that cannot be removed by surgery and has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (unresectable locally advanced) or has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). Propranolol is a drug that is classified as a beta-blocker. Beta-blockers affect the heart and circulation (blood flow through arteries and veins). Cancer patients may be under a tremendous amount of stress with elevated levels of norepinephrine (a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress). Increased adrenergic stress may dampen the immune system, which beta-blockers, like propranolol, may be able to counteract. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in the standard chemotherapy regimen, mFOLFOX (leucovorin, fluorouracil and oxaliplatin) work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Adding propranolol to pembrolizumab and standard mFOLFOX chemotherapy may increase the effectiveness of the pembrolizumab + mFOLFOX regimen.

NCT Number	NCT05651594
Lead Sponsor	Roswell Park Cancer Institute Collaborators: United States Department of Defense
Conditions	Clinical Stage II Esophageal Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8, Clinical Stage III Esophageal Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8, Clinical Stage III Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8, Clinical Stage IV Esophageal Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8, Clinical Stage IV Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8, Locally Advanced Esophageal Adenocarcinoma, Locally Advanced Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma, Metastatic Esophageal Adenocarcinoma +3 more
Enrollment	40 participants
Start Date	2023-03-07
Primary Completion	2029-03-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2029-03-30 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-12-16