Clinic and staging of esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer is generally accepted as in associated with a poor prognosis, accompanied by high morbidity and mortality. the incidence of esophageal cancer, however, varies depending on the geographic area examined. early esophageal cancer may not cause symptoms. as the cancer progresses, the most common symptoms are dysphagia and weight loss. although surgical resection offers the best chance for cure. most patients who present with symptoms already have systemic disease that is incurable. in this patients, accurate staging is essential for treatment selection and prognosis. last staging of esophageal cancer was published in 2010. this new system was presented in the sevent editions of the ajcc and uicc cancer staging manuals. some changes are present in this new staging system. for the first time, nonanatomic cancer characteristics such as tumor location, histologic grade, and histopathologic cell type are incorporated.