The doctor will connect the remaining healthy part of the esophagus to the stomach so the patient can still swallow. A plastic tube or part of the intestine may sometimes be used to make the connection. The doctor may also remove lymph nodes around the esophagus and look at them under a microscope to see if they contain cancer. When radiation therapy is used to treat cancer of the esophagus, a plastic tube is sometimes inserted into the esophagus to keep it open. This is called intraluminal intubation and dilation.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy with or without radiation is being tested in clinical trials.