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Staging of Esophageal Cancer

  • Chapter
Endoscopic Oncology

Abstract

Esophageal carcinoma is the fifth most common gastrointestinal cancer, and the recent data suggests that it is rising in incidence faster than any other malignancy. Although esophageal carcinoma is generally felt to have a poor prognosis, this is largely owing to the heterogeneity of patients. As with any malignancy, the stage of the tumor predicts prognosis and determines treatment options. Stage of the tumor at diagnosis is the best predictor of long-term survival. Patients with early or localized disease may have excellent survival when treated surgically, whereas patients with more advanced disease may not. Multimodality chemoradio-therapy plus surgery may optimize survival. Patients with invasion into adjacent structures or distant metastatic disease are more appropriately treated with palliation alone. Every patient with esophageal carcinoma should be clinically staged to determine which treatment options are appropriate and to individualize management. Clinical stage can be accurately determined by a combination of modern staging techniques including computed tomography (CT), esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), positron emission tomography (PET), and minimally invasive surgery.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH

    Jason Vollweiler MD & Gregory Zuccaro Jr. MD

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  1. Jason Vollweiler MD
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  2. Gregory Zuccaro Jr. MD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR

    Douglas O. Faigel MD, FACG, FASGE (Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Endoscopy) (Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Endoscopy)

  2. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

    Michael L. Kochman MD, FACP, FASGE (Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Co-Director Gastrointestinal Oncology) (Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Co-Director Gastrointestinal Oncology)

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© 2006 Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

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Vollweiler, J., Zuccaro, G. (2006). Staging of Esophageal Cancer. In: Faigel, D.O., Kochman, M.L. (eds) Endoscopic Oncology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-172-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-172-7_4

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

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