Oesophageal Cancer
- Diagnosis
A fiber-optic tube, called an endoscope, is passed into the mouth and then into the oesophagus to look into the oesophagus and to biopsy any mass. Although uncomfortable this test is essential and takes about 30 minutes to complete. It is an outpatient procedure performed under light anaesthesia.
A special x-ray test called a barium swallow will also delineate the extent of the cancer. During this test, a liquid paste containing barium is swallowed. During the act of swallowing many x-rays of the oesophagus are taken. The barium outlines the lining of the oesophagus and the cancer within.
Computerised Tomography (CT) scans of the lungs and liver show if there is cancer elsewhere.
