University of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Surgery: Treating Esophageal Cancer

Treating Esophageal Cancer

If you are diagnosed with esophageal cancer, you can be evaluated at the University of Wisconsin Multidisciplinary Esophageal Clinic. There, our multidisciplinary team of doctors will determine the best treatment options for you. These options may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or surgery.

Removal of the cancerous parts of the esophagus through surgery is called esophagectomy . There are several different ways to perform this operation. The University of Wisconsin offers a new type of surgery for esophageal cancer. This new procedure is called minimally invasive esophagectomy.

At UW, we have been performing minimally invasive esophagectomy since 2001. We are one of approximately 7 centers in the country that perform this new procedure. We are also participating in a National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical trial (E2202) to investigate the role of minimally invasive esophagectomy, comparing it to more invasive, conventional surgery.