There are different ways to treat oesophageal cancer. Most people with oesophageal cancer have surgery. Some also have radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or targeted therapy. If you have oesophageal cancer, you might need one of these, or a combination of them. Your doctors will yarn with you about what treatments they recommend and what your options are best for you. Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker about which treatment you might have and if you want to include traditional healing, bush medicines and/or cultural practices in your treatment plan. SurgerySurgery is a procedure done to remove the cancer and help to stop it from spreading to other parts of the body. Having surgery involves staying in hospital and having an anaesthetic (so that you are asleep during the operation) and an operation. Surgery is commonly offered in oesophageal cancers and can involve removing the affected part of the oesophagus, upper stomach and nearby lymph nodes.Recovering from surgery is different for everyone. Some people make a quick recovery and others may need to stay in hospital for a couple weeks before going home. Your doctor will yarn with you beforehand about what will happen.Yarn with your doctor, nurse, or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker if you have any concerns or questions. If you need travel away from home for surgery, assistance is available for you and your family for travel and accommodation.Read more about surgery. RadiotherapyRadiotherapy (or radiation therapy) uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells in one part of your body. It is not used commonly in oesophageal cancer, but can be used to relieve symptoms if the cancer has grown or is not able to be removed surgically.Most people who have radiotherapy have it 5 days a week for 4-6 weeks, and each session can take 15 minutes. But it might be different for you.You can only have radiotherapy in cities and some big towns – see this list. If your doctor thinks you need radiotherapy and you don’t live near a radiotherapy site, Assistance is available for you and your family for travel and accommodation.Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker. Read more about radiotherapy. ChemotherapyChemotherapy or ‘chemo’ involves you taking strong drugs to kill the cancer cells. Many people have chemo in cycles – such as one day every three weeks, or once a week. Some people have chemotherapy tablets at home, but most need to go to a hospital or clinic. But you usually don’t need to stay in hospital for chemo.Most chemo comes as injections into your arm or hand that drip in over a few hours and some need you to take home a small bottle home for two days then come back to take it off again. If you’re having chemo, your doctor will tell you exactly how it will work for you.Chemo can make people feel sick for a while, but there are things they can do and take to help. Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker. Mob who have had chemo say that traditional healing, bush medicines, Men’s Business, Women’s Business, being on Country and cultural practices help with managing the side effects of chemo.Read more about chemotherapy and side effects. Targeted therapiesTargeted therapies are newer drugs that try to stop the cancer growing. They are usually in the form of tablets that you can take at home.  Targeted therapy is usually used in combination with other treatments, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy or surgery. If your doctor thinks they might help, here are some questions to ask.Read more about targeted therapy.