Endoscopic treatments use a minimally invasive, through-the-mouth approach to reach inside the esophagus and treat small tumors. These therapies use an endoscope, a long thin tube with a light and camera on one end, that is inserted through your mouth and into your esophagus (while you’re under sedation). Your physician will use various tools passed through the endoscope to remove (resect) or destroy (ablate) the tumor.
Endoscopic resection
With endoscopic resection procedures, liquid is injected beneath the tumor to lift it up and then cutting tools are used to remove the entire tumor. Depending on whether your tumor has grown from the inner lining (mucosal) layer and into the next (submucosal) layer of the esophageal wall, your physician may perform one of these procedures.
- Endoscopic mucosal resection
- Endoscopic submucosal dissection
Endoscopic ablation
In endoscopic ablation procedures, tools are passed through the endoscope to deliver extreme heat, cold or a certain type of light to destroy the tumor.
- Radiofrequency ablation uses extreme heat to destroy the tumor.
- Cryoablation uses liquid nitrogen to kill cancer cells by freezing them.
- Photodynamic therapy kills cancer cells with drugs that activate when exposed to light.