Hello JanieDav and thanks for posting ,

I am very sorry to learn about your sister and can understand you wanting to explore the options for her treatment.

I don't know if there is a particular medicine that might be helpful for your sister. In general, because of the possibility of side effects, people have to be fit enough to have cancer treatment and also to join trials, so unfortunately this can be a stumbling block sometimes. 

The National Cancer Drug Fund and the New Treatment Fund cover the costs of treatments approved respectively by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SCM), but these approvals tend be very specific to a particular situation. I would expect your sister's medical team to know if there is a treatment approved by NICE or the SCM for someone in her circumstances. But even if one was approved, it could be the case that a medical team decided against it for reasons like poor health.  

I am not sure if you have already seen it, but the 'About Cancer' section on our website has a section on oesophageal cancer and how it is treated at this link. 

Trials all have strict entry requirements so it isn't always possible to find one that is suitable. Also joining a trial might mean having to travel to the hospital where it is taking place which might not be practical. Until the results of a trial are known it isn't possible to say how useful the treatment on trial will prove to be. 

We have information about taking part in trials and a clinical trials database on our website, which you can look at here. This lists the trials that we are aware of and have permission to include. If you filter the results by 'trial type' you can select the trials looking at treatment. Each trial has a summary explaining who can join, the trial design and the location.  The way to join a trial is to ask the current doctors to make a referral to the doctor running the trial at the nearest participating centre.

Our website has more information about CBD (cannabidiol) oil here -  this says there is no evidence to support its use as a medicine. 

Do give us a ring if you want to have a chat about anything. The number to call is freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Best wishes, 

Julia