Esophageal cancer therapy surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy

Despite therapy, most patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2004 will die from their disease. Surgery and radiation have been the historical treatments of choice for esophageal cancer. However, in an effort to improve outcome, combination therapies have emerged with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy, and adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy. Strong proponents for specific individual therapeutic approaches exist, as does controversy because no optimal treatment plan for esophageal cancer has clearly emerged.