When esophageal cancer is localized to the esophagus and has not spread elsewhere (metastasized), surgery is the treatment of choice. The goal of surgery, in most cases, is to cure the patient. In some circumstances chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination of the two will be used to make surgery easier to perform.
In patients who cannot tolerate surgery, or in situations where the cancer has spread to other organs (metastatic disease), chemotherapy or radiation may be used to help alleviate symptoms (palliative therapy). In such circumstances, however, the disease is usually not curable.
Other treatments that may be used to improve a patient's ability to swallow include endoscopic dilation of the esophagus (sometimes with placement of a stent) or photodynamic therapy.
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