[Esophageal cancers]

Abstract

Although slightly declining in France, the incidence rate of esophageal cancer remains amongst the highest seen in Europe, especially in Brittany, in the North as well as in Normandy. Alcohol and tobacco consumption remains the main risk factor for esophageal cancer in Western countries. Positive diagnosis of esophageal cancer is made by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy combined with biopsies. At present, surgery and definitive radiochemotherapy are two therapeutic options offering a chance to cure even though surgery remains the more frequently used treatment. Five-year-survival rate after apparently curative surgical resection or definitive radiochemotherapy remains only 20% in most population-based series. The studies that have examined the role of adjuvant treatments after surgical resection, have failed to demonstrate any improvement in overall or relapse-free survival. The pre-operative cytotoxic combined modality approaches with radiochemotherapy have shown improved relapse-free survival but still remains experimental. Finally, the symptomatic treatment of dysphagia might not be ignored either in locally, locally advanced, or in metastatic disease.