Esophageal cancer accounts for about one percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Despite its rarity, those diagnosed in the Savannah region do not need to leave the area for care.
Patients can receive treatment at the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion, part of St. Joseph’s/Candler. Dr. Marc Bailey, a cardiothoracic surgeon with St. Joseph’s/Candler Physician Network – Cardiothoracic Surgery, emphasized the center’s experience: “Patients want to go to a high-volume facility because of the experience of the entire care team,” says Dr. Marc Bailey, cardiothoracic surgeon with St. Joseph’s/Candler Physician Network – Cardiothoracic Surgery. “St. Joseph’s/Candler has that experience.”
He added, “I feel very comfortable with the care someone would get here who has any condition of the esophagus.”
The esophagus is part of the digestive tract and carries food from the throat to the stomach. Esophageal cancer usually develops where it joins the stomach and becomes more common as people age; nearly 90 percent of cases occur in individuals aged 55 or older.
According to American Cancer Society estimates, over 22,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with esophageal cancer this year, with men being affected far more often than women.
Risk factors for esophageal cancer include tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), excess body weight, physical inactivity, certain dietary habits such as consuming foods containing nitrates, and achalasia—a disorder affecting muscle relaxation at the lower end of the esophagus.
Trouble swallowing is noted as a primary symptom by Dr. Bailey; unfortunately, symptoms often appear once the disease has progressed.
“Esophageal cancer is one tenth as common as lung cancer. We hope to diagnose esophageal cancer at early stages, before it has spread,” Dr. Bailey says.
“Treatment may involve chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery and sometimes radiation.”
Dr. Bailey explained that most patients can receive comprehensive treatment—including chemotherapy and immunotherapy—at St. Joseph’s/Candler. Surgical intervention is also available locally when necessary.
Surgery for esophageal cancer is complex and typically requires several hours in addition to a hospital stay lasting seven to ten days; procedures are both open and minimally invasive using robotic technology like da Vinci robot systems.
Treatment involves multiple specialists including gastrointestinal doctors for diagnosis and surgeons like Dr. Bailey if surgery is required; oncologists and sometimes pulmonologists or radiation oncologists may also be involved.
“It’s typically the GI doctor who diagnoses it. You’ll see a surgeon, an oncologist, sometimes a radiation oncologist and sometimes a pulmonologist, so you’ll see three or four doctors right away,” Dr. Bailey says.“This can be overwhelming so we use our nurse navigator system for every patient with esophageal cancer.These navigators assure that the treatment process – appointments, scans – goes smoothly.Even our in-house nutrition team gets involved and makes sure you are eating properly.”
Nurse navigators play an important role in helping patients coordinate their care across different specialties throughout their treatment journey.
