Multidisciplinary Evaluation and Management of Early Stage Esophageal Cancer

Early esophageal cancer involves the mucosal and submucosal layers of the esophagus. Early esophageal cancer is a heterogeneous group, and achieving optimal outcomes requires a multidisciplinary approach to align patients to their optimal treatment. Although organ-sparing endoscopic resection has become the preferred management option for superficial esophageal cancer, it is not adequate in all tumors, such as high-risk lesions with poorly differentiated pathology, lymphovascular invasion, or deep submucosal invasion. In such high-risk lesions, surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation may be required. In this article, we present our multidisciplinary approach to early esophageal cancer.