Learn about the latest treatments for advanced esophageal cancer. We’ve got it covered, from new FDA approvals to emerging approaches in immunotherapy, targeted therapy, drug combinations, and more.

  • September 5, 2023  

    How Would an Expert Manage His Own Advanced Esophageal Cancer?

    With: Sarbajit Mukherjee, MD, MS

    When facing a frightening new cancer diagnosis, some people ask their doctors, “What would you do if you were me?” Here, our Curious Dr. George asks gastrointestinal cancer expert Sarbajit Mukherjee, MD, MS, how he would handle his own case of advanced esophageal cancer. Dr. Mukherjee is Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine—GI Medical Oncology and Co-Leader of the GI Translational Research Group… Read more »

  • February 8, 2022  

    Facing Esophageal Cancer in 2022

    Kaumudi Bhawe, PhD

    Difficulty swallowing, a hoarse voice, or heartburn has led to the dreaded diagnosis of esophageal cancer. What now? Origin, Types, and Stages of Esophageal Cancer If you or a loved one face esophageal cancer, it can be helpful to start by learning more about the disease and your particular diagnosis. Then, you will be prepared to learn about esophageal cancer treatments. Esophageal cancer originates… Read more »

  • August 5, 2022  

    FDA Approves Two Nivolumab-Based Regimens as First-Line Treatments for Unresectable Advanced or Metastatic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Bookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    The ASCO Post reports on the U.S. Food And Drug Administration (FDA)’s recent approval of two new treatments for advanced, unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

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The tumor board report summarized a lot of information into a very easy to read and understandable format. It provided contact information for additional treatment options which we will be pursuing. Lola Rahib was very efficient in obtaining all my medical records and responded quickly to our initial inquiry.

Tony
Pancreatic cancer patient

Molecular tests help match patients to the personalized treatments that are most likely to work for them. Keep up with new developments in genetic tests, tumor mutations, MSI status, other biomarkers, and additional precision-medicine strategies.

Some of the most promising new treatments for advanced esophageal cancer are currently being tested in patients enrolled in clinical trials. We help you stay up to date on the latest results from these studies.

  • April 12, 2021  

    Adjuvant Nivolumab in Resected Esophageal or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer Bookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    An academic research paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine reports new results from a phase III, randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial. In the trial, people with esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer that had been surgically resected were treated with either a placebo drug or the drug nivolumab. All patients had previously received chemotherapy before resection and had residual disease after surgery. The findings suggest that nivolumab may be beneficial, as median disease-free survival in was doubled (22 versus 11 months) in the nivolumab treated group compared to the placebo group.

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  • November 24, 2020  

    For Esophageal Cancer, Immunotherapy Likely to Play Larger Role Bookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    A blog post from the National Cancer Institute reports that two clinical trials are showing encouraging results for progression-free survival—and one for overall survival—from treatment with immunotherapy drugs in people with advanced esophageal cancer. 

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This free-of-charge, high-quality information service is a wonderful resource for patients with advanced cancer.

Hope S. Rugo, MD
UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center

Cancer affects many aspects of life, whether you’re newly diagnosed, in the midst of treatment, or in follow-up care. Learn about ways to maintain quality of life, such as palliative care and managing side effects.

  • October 14, 2019  

    Pediatric Palliative Care: A Specialty Comes of Age

    Sarah Friebert, MD

    For a child with cancer, palliative care can provide much-needed relief from stress and symptoms—for the patient and their family alike. Palliative care is given alongside cancer treatment, and is not synonymous with “end-of-life” care. In fact, anyone with a serious illness can benefit from palliative care, no matter their long-term outlook. Because of its importance for children with cancer, we are honored to… Read more »

  • August 11, 2021  

    Anxiety Before Each Chemotherapy Treatment Bookmark

    Lola Rahib, PhD

    Article from Let’s Win! Pancreatic Cancer: Pancreatic cancer patients share their experiences with pre-chemo anxiety and their personal strategies for overcoming it.

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  • February 11, 2020  

    ‘Impressed With Impact’ of Ketamine in Cancer Palliative Care Bookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Article from Medscape curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

    Depression is, for obvious reasons, common in patients with advanced cancer. The old, inexpensive drug ketamine—already approved for medical use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—seems rapidly effective, according to small studies.

    Go to full article published by Medscape.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

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You’re not alone. Read how other patients and caregivers navigated diagnosis, treatment, and life with cancer. We hope their stories provide insights and hope for your own cancer journey.

More patient stories

Learn more about what’s new in advanced cancer research and treatment, including screening and statistics, using artificial intelligence to improve treatment, and other new horizons in cancer care.

  • July 11, 2024  

    The Personalized Power of the “N-of-1” Approach

    With: Glenn Sabin

    Randomized, controlled clinical trials with a large N—number of participants—are the recognized “gold standard” of evidence-based medicine. Even so, the results of large-N trials can only reveal population averages, and are not predictive of any individual’s response to a given treatment. On the other hand, one can consider every patient with cancer as the sole participant in their own clinical trial with an Nof1, even if the trial is not… Read more »

  • November 10, 2022  

    A Powerful Knowledge Base for Precision Oncology

    With: Hongxin Zhang

    Genetic mutations found in a tumor can be important clues to the patient’s best treatment options. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York has developed a product called OncoKB™, which enables anyone to access and navigate key clinical information about the various genetic abnormalities that may be found in tumors. Here, Curious Dr. George asks MSK Lead Software Engineer Hongxin Zhang about… Read more »

  • June 2, 2022  

    Harnessing Each Patient’s Data to Help Many More

    With: Kaumudi Bhawe, PhD

    At Cancer Commons, we don’t just help people navigate cancer treatment; we learn from everyone we help. Here, our Curious Dr. George asks Cancer Commons Clinical Scientist Kaumudi Bhawe, PhD, to share how new knowledge can be captured from every patient to help many more. Curious Dr. George: Cancer Commons has accumulated in-depth data on many hundreds of patients with various cancers. Because of the… Read more »

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The coronavirus pandemic presents unprecedented challenges to cancer patients. We can help you understand how COVID-19 might impact your treatment and other aspects of your cancer care.