Esophageal Cancer Stages

Esophageal cancer is not a very good thing to hear. It rarely goes away, and often times is life-limiting. Overall, there are three types of this cancer. There is squamous cell carcinoma, which is a type of cell that lines the mere surface of the throat. If the cancer is found to be an adenocarcinoma, then this starts in the glands of the esophagus which put out mucus. Adenocarcinoma goes in deeper, to the lower part of the esophagus. It is usually aggressive. There are other types of esophageal cancers which are not so common. These include melanoma, lymphoma, sarcoma, small cell cancer, and choriocarcinoma.

The type of esophageal cancer a person has is determined by testing which mainly uses endoscopy to find the cancer, and then taking a sample of tissue from the area, (biopsy,) in determining what kind it is.

The staging of your esophageal cancer is determined mainly by using a PET scan, which is very in-depth in taking a look at how far the cancer has spread.

In stage one of esophageal cancer, that means that the cancer cells are on the surface of the throat that are lining your esophagus. If it is caught earlier at this stage, the outcome can be better.

In Stage two of esophageal cancer, the cancer is into more layers of your throat, meaning deeper. It has probably also gone into your lymph nodes too.

Stage three is to the point where the cancer has invaded deeply into the esophagus, is into the lymph nodes,and other nearby tissues as well.

Stage four is the most serious since not only is the cancer very deep into the throat, but it is all over the body such as the liver, lungs, or even the brain.

If you have been found to be in stage one only, then there is a chance for a cure by removing the cancerous tumor from the throat, and then doing some chemotherapy treatments. If the cancer has gone further, they could do what is known as an esophagectomy, which means that part of your esophagus that contains the cancer will be taken out.

In going further with more invasive surgery where not only is a portion of the esophagus removed, but the surrounding lymph nodes as well as some of the stomach, this is known as an esophagogastrectomy. This is the last surgical resort in trying to reach all of the cancer.

Radiation therapy can also be used along with chemotherapy in attempting to kill wherever this cancer has spread to. The death rate with this cancer type is usually quite high, leaving 95 percent of the people diagnosed that will ultimately die.