innermost layer of cells) but has not reached the lymph nodes or other organs.
- T1 cancers: Some very early stage 1 cancers that are only in a small area of the mucosa and haven’t grown into the submucosa (T1a tumors) can be treated with EMR, usually followed by some type of endoscopic procedure to destroy any remaining abnormal areas in the esophagus lining. But most patients with T1 cancers who are healthy enough will have surgery (esophagectomy) to remove the part of their esophagus that contains cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy (chemoradiation) may be recommended after surgery if there are signs that all of cancer may not have been removed.
- T2 cancers: For patients with cancers that have invaded the muscularis propia (T2 tumors), treatment with chemoradiation is often given before surgery. Surgery alone may be an option for smaller tumors (less than 2 cm). If the cancer is in the part of the esophagus near the stomach, chemo without radiation may be given before surgery.
If the cancer is in the upper part of the esophagus (in the neck), chemoradiation may be recommended as the main treatment instead of surgery. For some patients, this may cure cancer. Close follow-up with endoscopy is very important in looking for possible signs of cancer returning.
People with stage 1 cancers who can’t have surgery because they have other serious health problems, or who don’t want surgery, may be treated with EMR and endoscopic ablation, chemo, radiation therapy, or both together (chemoradiation).
Stages 2 and 3
Stage 2 includes cancers that have grown into