Health encyclopaedia

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

Treatment of Cancer of the oesophagus

Treatment depends on the size and location of the cancer, along with your general health. If cancer is found in the early stages, doctors often try to get rid of the cancer altogether to stop it coming back. However, if the cancer is already quite advanced, treatment will probably be designed to control symptoms and stop the cancer spreading any further.Cancer of the oesophagus can be treated with radiotherapy, chemotherapy or surgery:

• Surgery: If possible, surgery is used to remove all or part of the tumour. Depending on where the tumour is, the surgeon may need to open up the chest, the abdomen (stomach) or the neck. The affected part of the oesophagus and the lymph glands around it are taken out. The stomach is then re-joined to what is left of the oesophagus.
  
  Surgery can also help even if the tumour can’t be fully removed. Tumours that are causing a blockage can be made smaller using laser surgery, or a hard, plastic tube called a stent can be put into the oesophagus so that food and drink can move past the tumour to the stomach.
  
• Radiotherapy: Radiotherapy is a way of sending beams of radiation into cancerous tissue to kill cancer cells and stop them multiplying. Treatment is usually external (outside the body), from a powerful X-ray machine. Sometimes treatment can be given internally (inside the body) using a radioactive probe (a slim, fexible instrument used to look inside the body). Radiotherapy is usually carried out with surgery or chemotherapy.
  
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying. It aims to shrink the tumour so that it is easier to take out, and for some people it reduces the chance of cancer coming back. Like radiotherapy, it’s usually carried out alongside other treatments.

For more information about radiotherapy and chemotherapy, please the separate encyclopaedia entries.

• Caesarean sectionCancerCancer of the bile ductCancer of the bladderCancer of the boneCancer of the brainCancer of the breastCancer of the breast, maleCancer of the cervixCancer of the colon, rectum or bowelCancer of the kidneyCancer of the larynxCancer of the liverCancer of the lungCancer of the mouthCancer of the oesophagusCancer of the ovaryCancer of the pancreasCancer of the prostateCancer of the skinCancer of the stomachCancer of the testicleCancer of the thyroidCancer of the uterusCancer of the vaginaCancer of the vulvaCarbon monoxide poisoningCarersCarpal tunnel syndromeCartilage damageCataract surgeryCataractsCatarrhCavernous sinus thrombosisCEA testCellulitisCerebral palsyCerebrovascular diseaseCervical screening testCervical spondylosisCharcot-Marie-Tooth diseaseChemotherapyChest infectionChickenpoxChildren in careChiropracticChlamydiaChloride testCholesterolChorionic Villus samplingChronic fatigue syndromeChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseCircumcisionCirrhosisCleft lip and palateClinical trialsClub footCoeliac diseaseCognitive behavioural therapyCold soreCold, commonColicColostomyColour vision deficiencyColposcopyCombined contraceptive pillComplaints about NHS servicesComplementary therapiesComplex Regional Pain SyndromeCondoms (male and female)Congenital heart diseaseCongestive heart failureConjunctivitisConsent to treatmentConstipationContraceptionContraceptive implants and injectionsContraceptive patchCoronary angioplastyCoronary artery bypassCoronary heart diseaseCorticosteroid (drugs)Corticosteroid preparations (topical)Cosmetic surgeryCoughCounsellingCradle capCraniosynostosisCreutzfeldt-Jakob diseaseCrohn's diseaseCroupCT scanCushing's syndromeCuts and grazesCystic fibrosisCystitisCystoscopyCytomegalovirus

  ---