Mayo Clinic -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — Researchers have found that early stage cancers of the esophagus can be treated as effectively by less-invasive, organ-sparing endoscopic therapy as compared to more complex surgical removal of the esophagus, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the September 2009 issue of Gastroenterology.” In 20 percent of esophageal cancer cases in the United States, the cancer is detected in the early stages,” says Ganapathy Prasad, M.D., gastroenterologist and lead author on the study. “Traditionally, esophageal cancer patients undergo a complicated surgery to remove the esophagus. Our team compared surgery to the use of endoscopic therapy, where a scope is inserted in the esophagus and the cancer cells are shaved off. Our results showed the less-invasive therapy was just as effective as surgery for early-stage cancers.”
