Cancer of the esophagus can be treated using surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and radiation therapy. Which esophageal cancer treatment option is best for your particular case depends on its exact location, the stage of the disease and whether you are a good candidate for surgery.
Surgery
If your esophageal cancer was caught early, your surgeon may be able to remove the tumor or tumors through an endoscope inserted down the throat and into the esophagus. Using more common procedures, the surgeon may remove the cancerous portion of your esophagus, lymph nodes and nearby soft tissue, reconnecting the remaining section directly to your stomach. Or a piece of the small or large intestine may be used to replace the removed portion. In some cases, the surgeon may also remove a portion of the stomach itself.
Chemotherapy
Your Medical or Surgical Oncologist may recommend one of three different forms of chemotherapy. Neo-adjuvant or primary systemic chemotherapy is used before radiation or surgery to shrink the cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy is used after radiation or surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells. Systemic chemotherapy circulates throughout the body via the bloodstream when the cancer is metastatic. Chemotherapy alone is rarely used as the sole esophageal cancer treatment. It is typically given together with radiation therapy.
Targeted Therapy
Some esophageal cancers have too much of a protein called HER2 on their cells, causing the cancer to grow. Drugs that target this protein may interfere with the cancer’s growth. They are usually used in conjunction with chemotherapy drugs.
Esophageal Cancer Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy may be used as a primary treatment when surgery is not an option, post-surgery in order to destroy any cancerous cells left behind, or in combination with chemotherapy and targeted therapy. One of several highly sophisticated forms of External Beam Radiation Therapy or Internal Radiation Therapy may be recommended depending on the size and location of the tumor or tumors.