Oesophageal cancer

Abstract

Oesophageal cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Two major pathological subtypes exist: oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Epidemiological studies in the last decade have shown a gradual increase in the incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma worldwide. The prognosis of oesophageal cancer has greatly improved due to breakthroughs in screening, surgical procedures, and novel treatment modalities. The success achieved with combined modality therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, to treat locally advanced oesophageal cancer is particularly notable. Immunotherapy has become a crucial treatment for oesophageal cancer, with immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapies now established as the standard of care in adjuvant and metastatic first-line settings. This Seminar provides an overview of advances in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and oesophageal adenocarcinoma, with a particular focus on neoadjuvant therapies for locally advanced oesophageal cancer and immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapies.