Treatment of esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer should emphasize early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment. Treatment methods include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and comprehensive treatment. The choice of treatment plan should be determined based on the stage of the disease, the location of the lesion, the pathological morphology, the patient's general condition and the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis.

At present, surgical resection and radiotherapy are still the main treatments for esophageal cancer. Treatment methods are selected based on the stage of the disease: surgical treatment is preferred for patients in stages I and II; patients in stage III can first undergo radiotherapy or chemotherapy, and then strive for surgical treatment to improve the surgical resection rate and long-term efficacy; patients in stage IV are mainly treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy to prolong survival and improve quality of life. Treatment methods are selected based on the location of the lesion: radiotherapy is the first choice for cervical and upper thoracic esophageal cancer, and its survival rate is not lower than that of surgical treatment, because radiotherapy is effective, and the operation is difficult and has many surgical sequelae. Esophageal cancer in the middle chest is mostly treated with radiotherapy plus surgery or surgery plus radiotherapy, and the order can be arranged according to the situation.

Surgery is the first choice for lower thoracic esophageal cancer because the rate of upper abdominal lymph node metastasis is high. Once lymph node metastasis occurs, radiotherapy is often difficult to cure. The operation is easy and has few postoperative complications. The mushroom-shaped and intracavitary types are sensitive to radiotherapy, the medullary type is moderately sensitive, and the constrictive type, deep ulcer type and torsion type are not sensitive.