The Role of Radiation Therapy in the Management of Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer is a dismal disease with poor prognosis. Radiotherapy plays an important role in every stage of disease either as preoperative, postoperative, definitive, or palliative treatment. Concomitant radiotherapy with chemotherapy is frequently used before surgery. This approach not only reduces locoregional recurrences but also decreases distant metastases rates. Definitive concomitant chemoradiotherapy may be an alternative to surgery as an organ-preserving treatment. Organ preservation should be the primary goal of esophageal cancer treatment. Another important role of radiotherapy is the palliation of the symptoms at advanced stages of the disease.