Treating Cancer Cancers of the esophagus, stomach, and pancreas Cancers of the esophagus, stomach and pancreas fortunately are rare. These cancers often do not produce significant symptoms early on. They are frequently diagnosed in the later stages, when they are more difficult to treat. Cancers of the esophagus usually cause trouble swallowing- either a sticking sensation or pain with swallowing.
Weight loss is another common symptom.
The diagnosis is confirmed with an endoscopic procedure where a biopsy is taken. If the disease is confined to the esophagus and surrounding tissue there are several potentially curative treatments. These can involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or often a combination of several of these therapies. Recent studies have shown a dramatic improvement in overall survival when chemotherapy is used with radiation therapy, when compared with radiation treatment alone. Chemotherapy and radiation are also being used before surgery to shrink and sterilize the tumor before it is removed.