Stage 4 esophageal cancer is a disease that has spread from the lining of the throat to other tissues and organs. It is the most advanced stage of esophageal cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute’s SEER program. The esophagus is a hollow tube that connects the throat to the stomach while carrying swallowed food and liquid down to the digestive tract. Cancer of the esophagus may develop in the cells that make up the moist lining (mucosa) of the esophagus or in the muscles of the esophagus. There are two types of esophageal cancer: adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. The type of esophageal cancer a person has helps doctors determine the stage of the cancer.
The stages of a tumor help doctors predict how likely it is to grow and spread and plan treatment. The staging system for esophageal cancer includes several factors such as tumor size, lymph node involvement and whether the cancer has spread from where it started in the esophagus.
At stage 4, the tumor has grown into some of the muscle or thick layer of tissue that makes up part of the esophagus wall. It may have also spread to nearby lymph nodes. Some people at this stage have a lump or nodule in their esophagus that doctors can’t feel with their hands.
To find out if the cancer has spread, doctors perform a biopsy. They remove a small sample of the cancer or a few surrounding healthy cells to test them under a microscope. A biopsy helps doctors decide if surgery, radiation or chemotherapy is needed.
A person diagnosed with a cancer at stage 4 of the esophagus will receive some combination of radiation, chemotherapy and possibly surgery. The type and duration of treatment depends on where the cancer recurs, how far it has spread, what treatment was used in the past, and a patient’s health and preferences.
After a patient receives treatment, doctors monitor the cancer to see if it returns. If the cancer recurs, doctors can try to kill any remaining cancer cells with more treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy. The patient’s doctor will also use a tumor marker to check for the presence of cancer cells in the blood.
The survival rates for stage 4 esophageal cancer vary from person to person because the survival rate for different stages of a cancer varies. The lower the stage, the better the prognosis.
