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Treatments for esophageal cancer depend upon the type of esophageal cancer, the extent of the tumors, the locations, and the general condition of the patient. These treatments generally fall into three major categories.
Chemotherapy is a process in which specific drugs designed to attack rapidly dividing cancer cells are introduced into the body by a variety of methods, but most often, through the bloodstream. There are new chemotherapy approaches that do not focus just on dividing cells, but upon blocking the function of a particular enzyme within a tumor cell or a special receptor at the surface of the tumor cell.
Ionizing radiation may be used to kill tumor cells by means of x- ray producing machines focused precisely on the tumor or by radioactive objects or fluids implanted into or near the tumor.
The third general option is surgery in which all or part of the esophagus is removed. This is called an esophagectomy. Generally surgery is not the first approach to treatment, unless the esophageal tumor is limited to the esophagus. Even then, surgery may be preceded by chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments to kill as many tumor cells as possible before the surgery. Chemotherapy and irradiation may follow surgery in some cases, as insurance that no tumor cells remain.
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