6533b82bfe1ef96bd128d4aa

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Cancer of the Esophagus

subject

description

In 2015 esophageal cancer (OC) was globally the 11th most common cancer with 483,000 new cases and the 7th most common cause of cancer-related deaths, with 439,000 deaths. Esophageal cancer is a highly lethal disease of older age, sixth to seventh decades, associated with a remarkable decline in health-related quality of life, high mortality, and poor prognosis with an overall 5-year survival no greater than 20%. The two major histological types, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (ADC), while sharing the esophageal site, can be considered like two different neoplastic diseases as they differ in their epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, and treatment. Other malignancies such as carcinosarcoma and various types of sarcoma and lymphoma are rare, with an incidence of less than 1% of all esophageal malignant tumors. The management of esophageal carcinoma requires accurate preoperative staging to stratify patients properly. Esophageal cancer treatment is multimodal so that chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy integrate surgery is the main mode of treatment of locally advanced cancers for most patients. Unfortunately early spread of esophageal cancer and absence of symptoms in patients with early cancer result in the majority of patients presenting with incurable cancer. The primary treatment for patients with metastatic or unresectable cancer is palliation of dysphagia and maintenance of adequate oral nutrition.