Cancer of the Esophagus

Overview

Cancer of the esophagus is a malignant tumor of the muscular tube that propels food from the mouth to the stomach. It is by far the most common esophageal condition that we treat. 

There are two types of esophageal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

Diagnosing Cancer of the Esophagus

The diagnosis is made by barium swallow, endoscopy, and biopsy.

Treating Esophageal Cancer

At MGH, treatment is planned after multidisciplinary evaluation and most often multimodality treatment will be started. Multimodality treatment is therapy that combines more than one method of treatment.

Because most cancers of the esophagus are locally advanced at the time of diagnosis, removal of the tumor alone offers limited chances of cure. The tumor has grown through the wall or involves lymph nodes and therefore needs additional treatment.

Most patients are treated with a combination of surgical removal as well as chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

MGH is a leader in the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer and offers a full spectrum of surgical therapies and palliative treatment. More than 60 of these operations are performed each year by the division.

-- Douglas J. Mathisen, M.D.