The esophagus, known among the people, is a tube-shaped structure consisting of muscle tissue that connects the oral cavity to the stomach.

 

The inner surface of the esophagus in contact with food is covered with squamous epithelial cells; The uncontrolled proliferation of these cells by becoming cancerous is called squamous cell carcinoma (squamous cell cancer). This type of cancer usually occurs in the middle and upper segments of the esophagus.

 

Since the cell structure covering the surface of the esophagus changes in the lower segments, tumors called adenocarcinoma occur more frequently in this region.

 

One of the most common symptoms of esophageal cancer is a feeling of choking during meals and difficulty swallowing. First of all, the difficulty experienced in consuming only solid foods becomes such that even liquids cannot be easily drunk as the disease progresses. Findings such as weight loss, bleeding, black stools and hoarseness are also among the symptoms of this disease.

 

The first method used for diagnosis is endoscopy. After the diagnosis is made, following the determination of the stage of the disease with other imaging methods, surgical treatments are applied with open, laparoscopic or robotic methods to be selected for the removal of cancerous tissue.