Cancer of the esophagus

Cancer of the esophagus is generally seen in pateints over 50 and chronic smokers. They present with dysphagia or symptom of food getting stuck in the foodpipe while swallowing,. This will be progress to a stage where the patient cannot even swallow water.

As a result the patiens loses wait drastically and becomes thin and weak. He will the nrequire an upper GI endoscopy and a biopsy for confirmation. Following which a CT scan and or a PET scan is done to look for spread of tumour to the liver or lungs.

There are generally two types of cancers in the food pipe. A squamous cell carcinoma which responds well to radiotherapy and an adenocarcinoma which doesnt respond very well to radiotherapy. The food pipe all of 25 cms is divided into three equal parts for a scientific approach to treatment.

Cancers of the lower and third and some cancers of the middle third of the esophagus will require surgical removal of the food pipe. The upper third tumours generall yrequire radiotherapy only. Most of the esophageal cancers will require chemotherapy or radiotherapy either before or after surgery. These days operations are done by minimal access or laparoscopic surgery with very little pain to the patient and early recovery from surgery.

Efectively cancer of the esophagus is not a good cancer to treat and the post-operative survival is somewhat limited in spite of very good treatment. Smoking is one of the important causative agents and should be avoided.

Dr.Patta Radhakrishna MS.,MCh (GI Surgery) 

Sr.Consultant GI Surgeon

Apollo Hospitals

Chennai.