Studies now under way will determine whether combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy without surgery is as effective as surgery in allowing for long-term survival. In cases where the cancer has spread to organs beyond your esophagus, long-term survival is uncommon. Recovery improves when doctors detect the cancer at an early stage. Once cancer invades the muscle layer of your esophagus, most people already have developed widespread cancer. For these people, cancers invariably come back following surgical removal.
Few people survive long term.
Following completion of therapy, whether with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of these, you will need regular follow-up endoscopic examinations as well as repeat CT scans of your chest and abdomen. Often, people who undergo surgery of their esophagus develop significant narrowing at the site of the surgery. They require frequent esophageal dilatations or insertion of stents. People with Barrett esophagus should have regular endoscopic tests to detect precancerous changes of the esophageal lining. They also require tight control of the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, which may include dietary and lifestyle changes as well as medications and possible surgery, to prevent progression of the Barrett esophagus.