[Changes in the treatment of upper gastrointestinal tumors]

Tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract have a high mortality. Due to technical advances in recent decades, the survival of patients has improved significantly, but the average 5-year survival rate for neither stomach nor esophageal tumors does not exceed 35%. In countries that have introduced the screening program, patients are often detected at an early stage, when endoscopic care is also possible. With the development of oncology, the multimodal approach in tumor therapy became the standard, thereby opening a way to treat more and more advanced patients for curative purposes. The introduction of minimally invasive techniques, along with adequate oncological radicality, reduced the surgical load and improved postoperative recovery. In recent years, an increasing emphasis has been placed on the complex preparation of patients, so the morbidity indicators associated with surgery have improved further. Here we summarize the changes in the care of tumors of the upper digestive tract. Orv Hetil. 2024; 165(6): 203–210.