Things are changing somewhat. I was at a meeting today where they said for very early cancer a radical oesophagectomy is not done. They didn’t go into detail but emphasised that it would only be for very early detection. They also mentioned moving away from ecx chemotherapy to FLOT as the outcomes are better, but there was some suggestion that side effects and recovery might be less acceptable. There is a lot of talk about FLOT on this forum.
So to answer your question, the most common pathway is chemo then surgery followed often by more chemo but it does depend on the stage of the cancer. However some patients opt to skip the trauma of chemo and go for surgery sooner. Usually the decision is made In consultation with the surgeon and oncologist.
I seem to remember the specialist nurse who told me that I had a malignant tumour in my oesophagus straight after my gastroscopy, went out of her way not to frighten me further with any hint of major surgery or chemo, saying it was marvellous what they can do these days with minimally invasive surgery.
Things move on techniques improve and survival rates get better.
Your treatment pathway will be determined after all tests and scans are complete and the multi-disciplinary team meet. So it’s a bit of a wait till you will know how they will treat you. I imagine you are still reeling from the news. But don’t lose hope. There are lots of contributors to this forum who can give you information and encouragement, so stay positive. Keep fit, don’t put your life on hold, the right attitude influences the outcome no end.
Hi Shelley, I was diagnosed as T3 N2 M0 staging in July 2016, I decided not to have any treatment before the surgery. I had the surgery in October 2016 and was in hospital for 12 days, no major problems and I am doing quite well. So I don't know if it is common but it worked fine for me. Good luck with the PET scan and kind regards Frank.
