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Radiological Diagnosis and Assessment

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Management of Oesophageal Carcinoma

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Abstract

The diagnosis of oesophageal carcinoma is usually made by barium study or endoscopy. Symptoms of dysphagia commonly develop only when the tumour has encompassed the oesophageal lumen or invaded the perioesophageal lymphatics or mediastinal structures (Skinner 1984) and at this stage many tumours are unresectable. The various therapeutic options available have not substantially improved the long-term survival and there is considerable controversy as to the best method of treatment (Moertel 1978; Parker 1978; Earlam and Cunha-Melo 1980). Treatment planning requires assessment of the extent of disease to determine prognosis and resectability. Although conventional radiology can give some indication of tumour extent (Yamada 1979), computerised tomography (CT), by virtue of its cross-sectional imaging ability offers the potential of accurate, non-invasive pretherapy staging of disease. On the basis of the CT findings, potentially curable tumours may be identified, and the need for exploratory surgery obviated in some cases (Halvorsen and Thompson 1987a).

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Authors
  1. Alison M. McLean
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  2. R. H. Reznek
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. North Middlesex Hospital, Edmonton, London, N18 1QX, UK

    Raymond L. Hurt MB, BS, FRCS (Consultant Thoracic Surgeon) (Consultant Thoracic Surgeon)

  2. St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, EC1A 7BE, UK

    Raymond L. Hurt MB, BS, FRCS (Consultant Thoracic Surgeon) (Consultant Thoracic Surgeon)

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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McLean, A.M., Reznek, R.H. (1989). Radiological Diagnosis and Assessment. In: Hurt, R.L. (eds) Management of Oesophageal Carcinoma. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3153-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3153-3_5

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