Several treatments for esophageal cancer or precancerous conditions are administered using an endoscope, which is a lighted device with a long tube that can be inserted down the throat to view or treat the esophagus.
- Endoscopic mucosal resection involves using an endoscope to remove abnormal cells or very small tumors. The procedure may be followed by treatment to suppress stomach acid, to prevent gastric irritation and abnormal cells from developing again.
- Laser therapy (laser ablation) uses a laser beam (a narrow beam of intense light) to kill cancer cells in the esophagus, usually to relieve a blockage that prevents swallowing. Argon plasma coagulation is used for a similar purpose, as is electrocoagulation therapy, which uses an electric current to kill cancer cells.
- Photodynamic therapy is used to treat early Barrett’s esophagus and related precancerous changes that can lead to cancer, as well as early cancers that have not invaded deeper layers of the esophagus. Patients who receive this treatment must get more frequent esophageal exams to ensure the cancer has not come back. Photodynamic therapy can also be used to shrink more advanced cancers in order to relieve symptoms, such as loss of swallowing ability.
- Radiofrequency ablation is used in patients with Barrett’s esophagus to kill abnormal cells before they turn into cancer. A balloon is inflated so that it touches the areas of abnormal cells and kills them, so that new, normal cells can form. Patients will stay on acid-reducing medications after the procedure, to reduce the chance of abnormal cells returning.
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