The radiation may come from a machine outside the body or from radioactive materials placed in or near the tumor into the esophagus to keep it open during the radiation therapy. This procedure is call intraluminal intubation and dilation. Radiation therapy may be used alone or combined with chemotherapy as primary treatment instead of surgery, especially if the size or location of the tumor would make and operation difficult. Doctors may also combine radiation therapy with chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before surgery. Even if the tumor cannot be removed by surgery or destroyed entirely by radiation therapy, radiation therapy can often help relieve pain and make swallowing easier.
Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells.
The anticancer drugs used to treat esophageal cancer travel throughout the body. Anticancer drugs used to treat esophageal cancer are usually given by injection into a vein. Chemotherapy may be combined with radiation therapy as primary treatment or to shrink the tumor before surgery. Laser therapy is the use of high intensity light to destroy tumor cells. Laser therapy affects the cells only in the treated area.