New Procedure Offers Hope To Esophageal Cancer Patients

Washington, DC (AHN) – A new study offers hope to those diagnosed with early-stage cancer of the esophagus.

Researchers with the Mayo Clinic said in a statement that if the cancer is caught early enough, patients can be treated effectively with endoscopic therapy, where a scope is inserted into the esophagus and shaves off cancer cells, rather than having their esophagus removed.

The study examined 178 people with early-stage esophageal cancer, of which, 132 were treated with endoscopic therapy and 46 with surgery. Both groups had a comparable mortality rate of about 20 percent. Cancer came back in about 12 percent of the endoscopic therapy patients, but the disease could again be treated by the procedure.

The therapy has practical benefits as well. Patients who have their esophagus removed face lifelong dietary restrictions, while patients having the endoscopic therapy are treated in an outpatient setting, and they typically can eat meals within a few days of the procedure.

Esophagus cancer can be caused by chronic acid reflux. The precancerous condition called Barrett’s esophagus affects about 10 percent of chronic acid sufferers.

The study was published in the September issue of Gastroenterology.

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