Hi Davieshay and thank you for your post.

I’m really sorry to hear about your family member. It’s completely normal to feel worried and to want to know more.

Oesophageal cancer   is cancer of the food pipe (the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach). When it affects eating, it’s often because the tumour is making the tube narrower, so food cannot pass through easily. There is information on  how doctors can make swallowing easier on our webpage.

In the meantime their hospital specialist may have suggested a  special diet, such as soft or liquid foods. They may have been given a Patient Information Leaflet like the one from NHS Lanarkshire on soft diet information for patients.

We also  have information about the stages of oesophageal cancer  on our webpage which you may find helpful.

Survival rates are only general guides, based on large groups of people. They cannot predict what will happen for one person.

Every person’s situation is different. Things like overall health, tumour stage and grade,  treatment options and how well they respond to treatment  all matter a lot. The team looking after your family member will be the best people to explain what these stages mean for them.

If you can, it may help to go with them to appointments or write down questions beforehand.

I hope I have managed to answer some of your questions, and your family member knows more about their situation soon.

Please get back to us if you need any more information or support

It might help to talk things through with one of our nurses on the helpline. You can call for free on 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Kind regards

Tina