Molecular Phenotyping in Predicting Response in Patients With Stage IB-III Esophageal Cancer Receiving Combination Chemotherapy

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed localized (T1N1-3M0 or T2-4NanyM0, stage IB-III) Siewert type 1 or type 2 esophageal adenocarcinoma that is amenable to surgical resection as determined by a thoracic surgeon and for which all disease (primary tumor and involved lymph nodes) can be treated with radiation, as determined by a radiation oncologist
* Patients may not have received any prior chemotherapy, biologic therapy or radiation therapy for management of their disease; chemotherapy or biologic therapy administered for treatment of another primary malignancy are permitted if treatment was greater than 5 years ago
* Patients must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 2
* Patients must have a life expectancy of \> 3 months, in the opinion of and as documented by the investigator
* Hemoglobin \>= 10.0 g/dl
* Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/mcL
* Platelet count \>= 100,000/mcL
* Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\]) =\< 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
* Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
* Serum creatinine within normal institutional limits OR creatinine clearance \>= 60 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal (as calculated by Cockcroft-Gault)
* Patients must have an avid primary tumor with an standardized uptake value (SUV) of \>= 5 on baseline (18F) FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) imaging
* Men must agree to use adequate contraception (double barrier method of birth control or abstinence) 1 week prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation and for 1 month after completing combined modality treatment with chemotherapy and radiation; should a male patient's female partner become pregnant or suspect that she is pregnant while her partner is participating in this study, the treating physician should be informed immediately
* Patients must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
* This study will be limited to enrollment of Caucasian males only

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who are receiving any chemotherapy, biologic therapy, radiation therapy or any investigational agent
* Patients with metastatic disease
* Patients with a history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to platinums, taxanes or fluoropyrimidines
* Patients who have previously received radiation therapy to the chest or abdomen such that there would be overlap between the previous and current radiation field
* Patients with uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
* Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) whom are not receiving antiretroviral therapy
* Patients with another malignancy within the past 5 years