Esophageal cancer treatment

Treatment of oesophageal cancer - Treatment of benign tumours above a certain size requires surgical procedures (e.g. enucleation).

Pre-cancerous conditions, small, early-stage tumour lesions can usually be cured by therapeutic endoscopic interventions: endoscopic mucosectomy, photodynamic (light therapy after the injection of a photosensitising agent) treatment, argon plasma or laser mucosal irradiation.

Unfortunately, the oesophageal cancercause is usually discovered at a late stage. In this case, surgical treatment with radiotherapy, combined with chemotherapy Food-pipe-removal may be necessary.

If these can no longer lead to a satisfactory result, or if they are medically contraindicated, palliative (bridging) interventions are considered (insertion of self-expanding metal stents, electrocautery, photodynamic or laser tumour resection).

The aim of these interventions is to temporarily enable the patient to swallow and therefore to feed.

If these methods are ineffective, a so-called percutaneous endoscopic/ultrasound-guided gastrostomy (PEG or PSG) - a tiny tube inserted into the stomach through which nutrition can be provided - may be considered.