Cancer Research UK main site

oesophageal cancer - v little info

Pamplemousse
Offline

I wonder if anyone has any experience..

My Mum had been told it's 'very likely' she has cancer of the oesophagus after initial biopsy results and endoscopy. She has also had a CT scan that apparently showed no evidence of spread but has three more scans booked (i dont know what these are) plus more biopsy analyses.

She is now assuming the cancer is v localised and treatable but I'm worried about the vagueness of the info she has and whether she's being unduly positive. She hasnt been given a grade / stage yet, just told the tumour is 3cm and that they don't know how deep. No treatment plan yet either...

Basically Im desperate to know if this is a positive story given oesophageal cancers poor survivability? Or have they just not got wnough info yet? Please help!

  • Welcome to our forum Pamplemousse.

    I'm sorry to hear about your mum and can understand your desperation given all the uncertainty at the moment.

    Does your mum have a date for her next appointment?

    As you asked about survivability when it comes to oesophageal cancer I thought I might include some information we have on our web page and you can read more about it by clicking here. 

    Once you know more do come back and let us know how you and your mum are doing, we'll be thinking of you.

    Best wishes to you both,

    Renata, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Offline

    Hi Pamplemousse,

    Sorry to hear about your Mum. 

    I can only comment about my own case. I was given my own diagnosis of Oesophageal cancer and staging after my first CT scan and biopsy, but I was at Stage 4 and my secondaries were easy to spot even with a CT scan. 

    It would be worth asking what the planned scans are and what they are for. It may be that they are at a better resolution (MRI or PET) and will be used to plan surgery or radio-therapy. 

    By the way, don't be too oppressed by any survival rates you've read on the Internet, these are often many years out of date and even the up to date information is based on averages and ignores factors such as fitness, age and co-morbidities. 

    Best wishes

    Dave

    ps if you click on someone's username there's a link to their biography. My own journey with Oesophageal cancer is within mine.

Speak to a nurse

Quick links

Follow us

Registered with Fundraising Regulator (logo)
Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.