Treatment of Stage 0 Esophageal Cancer

This content has been reviewed and approved by

Chandra P. Belani, MD
Deputy Director, Penn State Cancer Institute
Miriam Beckner Professor of Medicine
Penn State University School of Medicine

Patients with stage 0 esophageal cancer have carcinoma in situ. This means there are cancer cells only in the superficial (top) layer of cells lining the esophagus. Although these are usually small cancers, they may, on occasion, spread superficially and involve a large part of the esophagus.

The following is a general overview of the treatment of stage 0 esophageal cancer. Most new treatments come about through clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs or treatment strategies. Developing more effective cancer treatments requires cancer patients to help evaluate these new and innovative therapies.

Participating in a clinical trial may offer you access to better treatments and advance the existing knowledge about treatment of this cancer. Clinical trials are available for most stages of cancer. If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, you should discuss the risks and benefits of clinical trials with your physician. To ensure that you’re receiving the optimal treatment for your cancer, it’s important to stay informed and follow the cancer news in order to learn about new treatments and clinical trial results.

Esophageal cancer is rarely diagnosed at stage 0 in the United States. It is more commonly seen in Asia, where patients at risk of developing esophageal cancer receive routine periodic esophagoscopy (an operation to remove part of the esophagus).

Treatment for stage 0 esophageal cancer involves surgical removal (resection) with wide margins (removing wide edges around the abnormal area). If there is no superficial spread, most stage 0 cancers are removable through an endoscope. An endoscope is a thin, flexible, lighted tube that your physician guides into your mouth and throat, then into the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (the first part of the small intestine that connects to the stomach). The cure rate is greater than 90 percent.

Research is in progress to refine existing treatments and develop new ones. For information on some of the techniques currently under investigation, see Strategies to Improve Treatment.