Competing interests: This article was commissioned in October 2014 under an earlier version of BMJ Education's competing interests policy. At that time, The BMJ judged that there were no relevant competing financial interests. The authors declare the following other interests: MAC has received grants and equipment/supplies from Merck for being the surgical oncology lead investigator on the ICONIC trial, which is testing a novel immunotherapy drug for oesophageal cancer. MAC has contributed to education events for Lilly, Medtronic, Frankenman, and Intuitive. All four companies produce drugs or devices used for the treatment of oesophageal cancer. MAC, SGT, and MM receive royalties from Oxford University Press for books that include coverage of the diagnosis and treatment of oesophageal cancer. MM is joint chief medical officer, North Central London and North East London Cancer Alliances. Provenance and peer review: Commissioned; externally peer reviewed