So last week we found out that my dad has stage 4 oesophageal cancer. He will be having two rounds of chemo a week, but hes not started yet. Also have said he will have surgery to remove tumour. Hes already having problems eating and drinking, which he's had for months and doctors didnt do anything until he was rushed in to a&e. Obviously had all the scans. I have questions. We as a family are so scared. My dad is avoiding it completely.
I would like to know the success rate of removing tumour. Best foods or drinks he can have to ease the pain and will be easy to swallow. I've already bought him some bovril to see if that helps. does the chemo help shrink the tumour. I don't want to Google anything because we all know what that's like. So thought I would join this group.
Thanks for reading
Hello
Sorry to hear that your dad has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and it sounds like he had a rough time before being diagnosed. my name is Jennie, I am 64 and was diagnosed last Sept 2023, Adenocarcinoma T3/4a,N2,M0. I had 6 rounds of chemo, two different, the last 4 rounds was a Chemo called FLOT which is given fortnightly. In October 2023 I could no longer eat food, if I tried it got stuck then I would be sick for about an hour. Working with the team dietician she gave me some samples of shakes that I could have as a food supplement, she then emailed the GP for me to have these on prescription. After some Chemo I was then able to eat again in December, yes the chemo had shrunk the tumor.. I am nearly 10t weeks post Op. and about to start post op chemo. You will many different journeys on here, there will be differences between geographic areas, types of tumors etc.
Ask as many questions as you need to, when I was diagnosed I felt that I wouldn’t have another Christmas, birthday, life felt scary and bleak but as time moved forward, the support from the team, people on here, understanding, hope kicked in. It is a tough journey and a long one. Yes you are right DO NOT GOOGLE, tell you dad not to either, the info is far from correct.
Get high protein, low sugar shakes for your dad, ask to speck with the dietitian.
Hope this helps, take care Jennie 
I agree with Jenny about high protein shakes. There are plenty of appetising flavours out there but make sure you buy good quality ones and always make them with full fat milk (throw in a bit of cream to
build up the cals and fat content). I double up on the quantities so get around 400-500 cals per drink! If you've got a blender you can also add fruit like banana, strawberries and blueberries which will make it taste even better and push up that calorie count too
