will having an oesphagectomy cure early stage cancer and whats the likelihood of it ever returning
what stage of cancer is it? i had stage one 3 years ago. i have barretts too which needs checking every 6/12 months now too.
hi i dont know what stage it is i,ve been told that abnormal cells are showing changes and i need chemeoraditherapy and an oephagectomy have you had this treatment ?
You may find it helpful to contact the Oesophageal Patients Association - OPA (you can google their website) David Kirby, who founded the OPA had this operation around 45 years ago and is still alive and well.
Some small tumours at an early stage can sometimes be removed successfully with endoscopic methods. The outcomes for early stage tumours are very good, with a 5-year survival rate up around the 85-90% mark.
It is standard practice to have the chemotherapy before the surgery because that gives a better chance of mopping up stray cancer cells.
Hi thanks for the info and i,ll get in touch with the opa .
Linda, Was the part of the eshophagus that had the Barrett's left in? My esophagectomy removed the part with the Barrett's. One doctor said that I'll still need to be scoped and the other one said that I won't.
Joyce, I think it depends on what stage your cancer is. However, my oncologist told me that even when they get it all, it has a way of coming back in a large number of cases. I had an esophagectomy in February this year. I didn't have chemo or radiation since the cancer was small and a stage 1. I do have CT scans every 3 months. I've done much better post-surgery than most that I read about. Be sure that both your surgeon and the hospital are very experienced with esophagectomies. Best wishes for a wonderful outcome for you.