The multidisciplinary management 11 of early stage cervical esophageal cancer

Abstract

Cancer development in the cervical portion of the esophagus presents a unique challenge to management given the close proximity of critical structures in the head and neck. Cervical esophageal cancer (CEC) was historically approached with primarysurgery, pharyngo-laryngo-esophagectomy (PLE), but a paradigm shift has occurred suchthat functional organ preservation with concurrent chemotherapy and radiation (CRT)isnow preferred. This chapter will review anatomical considerations pertinent to themanagement of CEC as well as the risk factors and multidisciplinary treatment approach to this disease.