[The possibilities and barriers in endoscopic examination and treatment of esophagus cancer]

Pol Merkur Lekarski. 2007 May;22(131):327-31.
[Article in Polish]

Abstract

When it comes to the effective treatment of esophagus tumor is one of the most difficult tumor to treat of all tumors of alimentary tract. It is due to the biological features of this tumor and lack of its early clinical symptoms, which would allow to recognize it in the early stage and to begin with a radical treatment. The main method to recognize the esophagous tumor is the endoscopic treatment with histopathology, and the endosonography is the best method which allows to estimate its local advancement. Endoscopy allows to detect pre-malignant phase and the early stage as well use of the alternative to surgical endoscopic methods of the treatment. Unfortunately, endoscopy made to patients with swallow discordance usually shows the advanced esophagus tumor, which is to be qualified for palliative treatment that include: widening of esophagus, different methods of ablation, endoscopic stenting and implementing alimentary gastrostomy. The choice of the treatment method should be based on the type of the tumor and the advancement stage of disease, but the clinical practice shows that the method of treatment is determined by the availability of the methods and experience. The parallel use of different methods of treatment may give better results, but the wide range of treatment methods shows the lack of optimal way of treatment, on the other hand gives the possibility to chose the individual method of optimal treatment. Surgical treatment is still method of choice in the esophagus tumor, but it is often impossible to perform or is appears to be ineffective and it creates the possibility of use of alternative endoscopic methods. The article shows the possibilities of diagnosing and different endoscopic techniques for radical treatment of earlyphase and palliative treatment of advanced tumor of esophagus.

Publication types

  • Editorial

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Adenocarcinoma / pathology
  • Adenocarcinoma / surgery*
  • Combined Modality Therapy / methods
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Endosonography / methods
  • Esophageal Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Esophageal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Esophageal Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Esophageal Stenosis / diagnostic imaging
  • Esophageal Stenosis / pathology
  • Esophageal Stenosis / surgery
  • Esophagectomy
  • Esophagoscopy*
  • Gastrostomy
  • Granular Cell Tumor / diagnostic imaging
  • Granular Cell Tumor / pathology
  • Granular Cell Tumor / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Palliative Care
  • Prognosis
  • Prostheses and Implants