Esophageal cancer detection and treatment are difficult since many people present with advanced disease. Early detection could help in planning curative treatment. Patients with this condition present with difficulty in swallowing that progressively worsen over several days, weeks or months. They would have a loss of appetite, weight loss and often anemia. Diagnosis is made using endoscopy and biopsies performed during the procedure. The next step would involve staging the disease to understand whether the disease is localised(early cancer) or has spread to distant organs (metastatic cancer). Staging information is obtained by EUS, CT scans and a PET scan. A team of doctors would then decide further treatment plan based on whether disease is early (curative) or advanced (not curative). The modalities used in the treatment of esophageal cancer for cure are a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The treatment of esophageal cancer should combine multimodal therapy for best results, said Dr Srikanth. Typically neo-adjuvant chemoradiation (chemotherapy and radiation given before surgery) followed by surgery to remove cancer are employed for cancers deemed curable. When disease is advanced, swallowing difficulty is relieved by use of endoscopic stents designed for this purpose. Also, while cure maynot be possible, meaningful prolongation of survival in patients with incurable cancer can be achieved with use of radiation and/or chemotherapy.
When to Opt For Surgery?
Surgical removal of food pipe cancer (esophagectomy) can cure early esophageal cancers when used in the setting of multimodality treatment. Dr. Srikanth gadiyaram, has extensive experience in performing esophageal cancer surgery. Importantly, he is an expert in performing thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy (keyhole surgery to remove foodpipe cancer).
Considerations and Outcomes Following Surgery
Esophageal cancer surgery is complicated and requires careful recovery. Esophagectomy alters digestive system anatomy, making nutrition crucial. Patients may need smaller, more frequent meals to adjust to swallowing and digesting alterations. Recovery nutrition may require feeding tubes.
The prognosis after surgery relies on the cancer stage and tumor removal. Esophageal cancer recurs frequently, especially in advanced stages, despite surgery being the best treatment. Long-term survival rates improve with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and thorough follow-up.
In Conclusion,
Dr. Srikanth Gadiyaram and his expert team at Sahasra Hospital think that each patient’s surgical treatment for esophageal cancer should be tailored to their unique health status, disease stage, and the pros and cons of the available methods.For optimal outcomes, it is essential to recognize the condition early and to treat it with a coordinated, multidisciplinary team.
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