Oesophageal cancer

Treatment

The main treatments for oesophageal cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

This page covers:

Your treatment plan

You'll be cared for by a group of different healthcare professionals and your team will recommend a treatment plan they feel is most suitable for you (see below),although final treatment decisions will be yours.

Your plan will largely depend on how far your cancer has spread known as the "stage".

Stage 1-3 oesophageal cancer is usually treatedwith surgery to remove the affected section of oesophagus(oesophagectomy). Chemotherapy and sometimes radiotherapy may be given before surgery to make it more effective or is sometimes used instead of surgery.
Stage 4 oesophageal cancer has usually spread too far for a cure to be possible, but chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other treatments can slow the spread of the cancer and relieve symptoms.

The endoscope is passed down your throat so no incisions are made in your skin.

Sometimes radiowaves may also be used to destroy the cancerous tissue (called radiofrequency ablation or RFA).

Stents

For more advanced cases of oesophageal cancer that are causing swallowing difficulties,a procedure to insert a hollow tube called a stent into the oesophagus may be recommended.

The stent expands once in place and holds the oesophagus open.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves taking medicines that kill the cancer cells or stop them multiplying.

It may be used:

before and sometimes after surgery, eitherwith or without radiotherapy to shrink the cancer and reduce therisk of it coming back
instead of surgery incombination with radiotherapy (called chemoradiation)
to relieve your symptoms ifcurative treatmentisn't possible

The medicines can begiven into a veinor taken as tablets. You'll usually have the treatmentevery three weeksover aperiod of6-18 weeks.

Side effects

Common side effects of chemotherapy include:

feeling sick
loss of appetite
losing weight
Traveller's diarrhoea
feeling very tired
increased risk ofinfections
bleeding and bruising easily

These side effects should improve gradually after treatment stops..

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy involves usingradiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours.

It may be used:

in combination with chemotherapy before surgery to shrink the cancer and reduce therisk of it coming back
instead of surgery usually in combination with chemotherapy (called chemoradiation)
to relieveyour symptoms if curative treatment isn't possible

Radiotherapy is most often given using an external machine that directs beams of radiation at your oesophagus, or sometimes by temporarily placing a small piece of radioactive material in your oesophagus (brachytherapy).