Cisplatin, Irinotecan, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Esophageal Cancer or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer That Can Be Removed By Surgery

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma, poorly differentiated carcinoma, or carcinoma not otherwise specified, of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction; biopsy or cytology of the primary tumor, or of involved regional lymph nodes, is acceptable
* Tumors must be TNM stage T2-4, N0-1, M0 as determined by pretreatment endoscopic ultrasound; T1 tumors are eligible if they are T1, N1, M0; regional thoracic lymph node involvement (N1) is permitted
* Disease must be clinically limited to the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction; if the tumor extends below the gastroesophageal junction into the proximal stomach, 50% of the tumor must involve the distal esophagus or gastroesophageal junction; adenocarcinomas of the distal esophagus would therefore include tumors of the distal esophagus, or Siewert type I according to the Siewert classification, and tumors of the gastroesophageal junction which involve equally both the distal esophagus and proximal stomach, or Siewert type II; tumor must be surgically resectable

  * No TIS (in-situ carcinoma) and tumors determined to be T1N0 following endoscopic ultrasound
  * No clinical involvement on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), computed tomography (CT) scan, or PET scan of supraclavicular or celiac lymph node involvement (stage IVa, T any N any M1a) unless this is proven to be a false positive by an appropriate biopsy
  * No patients with cervical esophageal tumors, or gastric cancers with minor involvement of the gastroesophageal junction or distal esophagus
  * No patients with tracheoesophageal fistulas
* Patients with evidence of metastatic disease are not eligible; this includes:

  * Positive malignant cytology of the pleura, pericardium or peritoneum
  * Radiographic evidence of distance organ involvement including lung, liver, bone, or brain
* No prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy is permitted; patients must be at least 4 weeks since major surgery, or must have recovered from the effects of minor surgery (laparoscopy, thoracoscopy)
* No prior malignancies (other than basal cell/squamous carcinoma of the skin, in-situ cervical carcinoma, or superficial transitional cell bladder carcinoma) are permitted unless diagnosed and/or treated \>= 3 years before registration and without evidence of recurrence
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1
* No evidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve or phrenic nerve paralysis
* No known Gilbert's disease
* No clinically significant hearing loss; audiograms should be done in patients in which they are clinically indicated
* No history of active seizure disorder; no ongoing treatment with phenytoin, phenobarbital, or other antiepileptic medication; patients who are receiving valproic acid are eligible
* No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease; no angina or myocardial infarction within the last 6 months

Inclusion Criteria:

* No history of clinically significant ventricular arrhythmia requiring ongoing medication with antiarrhythmics
* Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1,500/ul
* Platelet count \>= 100,000/ul
* Hemoglobin \>= 9 gm/dl
* Serum creatinine =\< upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Total serum bilirubin =\< 1.5 mg/dl
* Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV-1) \>= 1.2 liters OR \>= 35% of normal as a value that is indexed to body size
* Pulmonary function tests (PFT) \>= 1.2 liters OR \>= 35% of normal as a value that is indexed to body size