The treatment goal may be either curative or palliative.
Therapeutic protocols involve different combinations of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Each have their own encumbrances and side effects. Accurate staging avoids exposing patients to unnecessary aggressive treatment in their final months of life. Technology does have its limitations. Surgical exploration has been the standard means for staging patients. EUS is the method of choice to determine depth of tumor invasion and regional nodal disease and involvement of adjacent structures.