Esophageal cancer treatment is advancing quickly, and Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine is driving breakthroughs for patients. It’s typical for this type of cancer to be diagnosed at later stages, because symptoms aren’t always noticeable until then—but now the survival rate of the disease is improving at every stage.
Why Choose Siteman
Patients with esophageal cancer often think that something else causes their symptoms for months. Or doctors might place them under surveillance if they diagnose them with Barrett’s esophagus. If you have recently received a diagnosis or suspect that you might be showing signs of this cancer, where you go for treatment matters.
WashU Medicine physicians and surgeons at Siteman Cancer Center lead in esophageal cancer staging and treatment, even for rare and complex cases. They manage esophageal cancer clinical trials to improve treatment options for those diagnosed with it. So, today’s treatments are very different from those of ten years ago, in part because of the work happening at Siteman.
Each year, an average of 1,000 patients with upper thoracic cancers, which includes lung and esophageal cancer, choose their care with Siteman Cancer Center – the highest number in the region. The care team assigned to patients with esophageal cancer move patients swiftly from their first call to care. They work with precision to stage and diagnose, ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients.
There are two main types of esophageal cancer:
- Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)
- Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC)
EAC often develops after a diagnosis of Barrett’s esophagus.
EAC is the most common esophageal cancer in the United States. However, ESCC is the most common worldwide. Together, they impact about 20,000 people in the United States and around 500,000 globally each year. We are experts in treating both.
When you choose us for your esophageal cancer treatment, you’ll work with a team of experts. WashU Medicine surgeons at Siteman specialize in thoracic and upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, meaning you’ll receive care from some of the world’s top surgeons. Your team includes oncologists, radiation oncologists, nutritionists, and psychologists, among other specialists. They meet weekly to discuss treatment options and interpret imaging. This means we will be with you every step of the way.
It’s not too late to choose care at an advanced treatment center. As the only NCI-designated Cancer Center in the region you can trust Siteman to treat you with the most advanced therapies available. If you are looking for a second opinion or want to refer your patient, reach out to one of our care coordinators to take advantage of our expertise and treatment options.
Our Siteman care coordinators – oncology-trained nurses who help with scheduling, finding the right specialist, and guidance – can help you through the process.
Call us directly or submit a form, and we will call you back.
Multidisciplinary Tumor Boards Guide Your Care
At Siteman, your treatment plan is co-determined with you by a group of subspecialists who might review your case in a tumor board meeting. In these meetings, experts review your medical history and create a plan together as an integrated care team. They examine your medical records, imaging studies, biopsies, and genetic tests to ensure you receive an accurate diagnosis and staging before making any recommendations about treatment.
Your care team will review all relevant data before recommending anything. Tumor boards significantly improve patient outcomes by bringing specialists in from different departments to determine the best options available. This is a standard of care not offered at other healthcare centers, giving you a distinct advantage over your cancer.
Many specialists compose your care team, including:
- Surgical experts in oncology
- Radiation oncologists
- Diagnostic and interventional radiologists
- Gastroenterologists
- Palliative medicine physicians
- Pathologists
- Geneticists
- Researchers
Plus, your team includes supportive care providers as needed, such as:
- Clinical pharmacists
- Social workers
- Psychologists
- Physical therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Nutritionists
At Siteman, specialists from multiple disciplines review your case together to create a personalized treatment plan tailored to you. This coordinated approach helps ensure every treatment option is carefully evaluated and every aspect of your care is aligned around the best possible outcome.
A Siteman care coordinator is the fastest path to referral, consult, or second opinion. Our care coordinators – oncology nurses who help with scheduling and navigation – will guide you from your first call.
Surgical Expertise in Esophagectomy
WashU Medicine surgeons at Siteman specialize in esophagectomies – one of the best treatments available for patients whose cancer is diagnosed in earlier stages. In this procedure, an esophageal cancer surgeon will remove all or some of the esophagus, sometimes using robotic-assisted technology. Your surgeons will let you know if you are a good candidate for this surgery.
WashU Medicine surgeons at Siteman specialize in complex thoracic and GI cancers. They perform about 70 open esophagectomies each year. This experience helps them reduce discomfort and shorten hospital stays during the procedure. Their experience also helps to create a comprehensive surgical plan to offset any complications that may arise, meaning the esophagectomy outcomes are better.
Advanced Treatment Through Clinical Trials
At Siteman, WashU Medicine researchers often improve treatments with clinical trials. They start by testing how a therapy works for one type of cancer. Then, they investigate applications for other cancers too. This reflects cancer research in general, where a research project can often focus on one type of cancer, with insights that then travel to other subtypes.
Siteman Cancer Center led one of those breakthrough clinical trials in the upper GI area, CA-4948. What started as research into treatment for pancreatic cancer became a combined immunotherapy and chemotherapy approach. For pancreatic cancer studies in mice, their survivability doubled.
Now, insights from the CA-4948 trial are helping physicians and researchers help people boost their body’s natural defense system against gastroesophageal cancer. Siteman offers more clinical trials for esophageal cancer patients, like HLX22 and ARTEMIDE-Gastric01.
Clinical trials are research studies that help us find new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. If you have a rare or complex diagnosis or your treatment path seems uncertain, you might qualify for a clinical trial.
Our team will help you find a study that is right for you. Call us to speak with a Siteman care coordinator.
How Siteman Leads in Esophageal Cancer Research and Treatment
In 2019, WashU Medicine researcher Yin Cao, ScD, MPH, was awarded a grant that funded research into the relationship between bacteria in the oral cavity and its connection to Barrett’s esophagus. Dr. Cao is a nationally recognized cancer epidemiologist and researcher at Siteman Cancer Center whose work advances understanding of the relationship between the oral microbiome and Barrett’s esophagus, helping uncover new pathways for earlier detection and prevention of esophageal cancer. The grant was awarded from a variety of sources to support and accelerate the pace of innovation in cancer research.
In 2018, Dr. Meyers co-authored a landmark study about esophageal cancer called the CROSS trial. In this, researchers tracked patients’ quality of life during and after treatment that involved multimodal methods combining chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. The study found that patients who received radiation and therapy before chemotherapy had similar recovery to patients who received surgery alone.
Research like this means that your care team isn’t just focused on treating cancer—they also focus on how you will respond to treatment, so they can support you through it.
High-Quality Care in St. Louis
With time-sensitive cancers like esophageal, where you go for treatment matters. The difference in survival rates can be significant between a high-volume center and a general hospital. At Siteman, specialists with esophageal experience lead your care team.
Patients travel nationally and from across the St. Louis region for treatment at Siteman. Our radiation oncologists are at the forefront of emerging approaches for thoracic cancers—including proton beam therapy, which may reduce radiation exposure to the heart and lungs for patients with esophageal cancer. We are home to one of the largest proton beam facilities in the region.
WashU Medicine physicians at Siteman take great care of early and advanced-stage esophageal cancers and tackle even the most complex cases. By choosing to get your treatment here, you’ll benefit from precise staging, expert surgery, and clinical trials. These options can lead to better outcomes that you might not find elsewhere.
