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 m…