It is cancer arising from the esophagus -the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Here, cancer arises from the epithelium lining the esophagus. Most esophageal cancers are two types. One, Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) mostly involving upper two-thirds and associated with tobacco and alcohol consumption. Two, Adenocarcinomas (AC) often associated with a history of GERD and Barrett's esophagus, commonly affects the lower one-third.
Cancer Therapy India has the best esophageal cancer hospital in India, having a team of the best esophagus cancer oncologists in India with wide experience in the same field. We strive our best to help esophageal cancer patients by offering state of art treatment facilities and also help them face the challenges of living with cancer.
Symptoms:
The most common complaints are difficulty in swallowing food, food getting stuck in the food pipe and weight loss. Additional presenting symptoms include painful swallowing, pain behind the breastbone, dry cough or hoarseness of voice, enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, & possibly coughing up or vomiting blood.
Having some of these symptoms is not the indication of cancer, but if one or more of them is observed for more than two weeks or more, then a doctor must be seen and an instant health screening is a must. Consult the best cancer hospital for esophageal cancer treatment immediately if you see any related symptoms.
Diagnosis:
The best modality to establish a diagnosis is an examination using an endoscope and biopsy. This procedure involves the passing of a flexible tube with a light and camera down the esophagus – food pipe through the mouth and taking biopsies of suspicious lesions. Additional testing is needed to assess whether cancer has spread to adjacent tissues or distant organs (like Liver, lungs and lymph nodes). It includes doing computed tomography (CT) of the chest, abdomen and pelvis or whole-body PET CT scan for accurate staging. If cancer has spread, then molecular testing such as HER2, PDL1, MSI-H / dMMR are usually done to help decide on treatment.
Treatment:
Modality of treatment depends on the histological type, extent and location of the tumor.
• Small, very early-stage tumors can be removed by Endoscopic Surgery and adjuvant chemo-radiation if indicated.
• Early-stage lower part esopahgeal tumors removed surgically while for upper esophagus definitive chemo-radiation is preferred
• For Locally advanced lower part esophageal cancers, chemotherapy is given first, followed by surgery.
• For unresectable esophageal cancers, definitive chemo-radiation is the treatment of choice
• In metastatic disease, chemotherapy is the preferred option in the first-line setting with the addition of Trastuzumab for HER2+ adenocarcinomas. Second-line options include Targeted therapy (Ramucirumab) for adenocarcinomas. Immunotherapy (Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab) is useful for PDL1 expressing or MSI-H/ dMMR carcinomas.
Our Cancer Therapy India team offers you the best esophageal cancer treatment in Bangalore.
