Esophageal Cancer: Diagnosis
This overview explains our diagnostic process to help you understand what to expect as you go through the early steps of your care.
Because esophageal cancer is a diverse group of diseases, an accurate diagnosis is critical for your treatment plan. It helps us recommend the most effective treatment options for you, in the right sequence
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT ESOPHAGEAL CANCER
1Getting Started In Your Care
2Getting Your Diagnosis
Consultation & Testing: What to Expect »
3Planning Your Treatment
4Undergoing Treatment & Follow-Up
Select your type of treatment below.
For everyone who comes to us, we start your care by establishing or confirming a diagnosis.
First Visit
Consultation
Test Results
Complex Cases
We collect your previous test reports and other medical records. We may need your help to do so, in case you need to sign a release form with your doctor.
a. Our goal is to review them before we meet with you so that we understand your unique case. Knowing the details of any previous diagnoses and treatments helps us provide the best possible care for you.
b. When you schedule your first appointment, our patient coordinators will contact your primary care physician and any other doctors to gather your medical records. We may need your help to do so, in case you need to sign a release form with your doctor. If we cannot obtain them in time, we may need to reschedule your appointment. You can speak with your patient coordinator or your doctor for more details.
c. Some types of medical records that you should keep include:
- Imaging test results, either on paper or stored on a DVD
- Pathology reports from any biopsies or surgeries
- Operative reports from any surgeries
- List of medications, doses, and how long you took them
- Discharge summary if you had a hospital stay
- Contact information for health care providers who treated you for cancer
a. Our team meets with you for a thorough diagnostic evaluation. We gather more information during your first appointment but may still need additional tests to confirm or rule out a diagnosis.
b. If needed, you may undergo further imaging tests, blood work, or a biopsy.
a. Your providers will review the results of your tests as they are completed. Your providers will contact you with recommendations for the next steps in your care.
b. Many health care professionals collaborate in the process and provide expert analysis, including your oncologist (cancer doctor), radiologist, and pathologist.
c. Your care team will use all the results of your testing to determine the stage of your cancer. Staging describes the size of the cancer and whether (and how far) it has spread. Staging is the most important step in planning your treatment. Your care team make recommendations for treatment based on your cancer stage and your overall health. Learn about esophageal cancer stages.
The oncologist (either medical, surgical, or radiation) who will begin your first treatment meets with you to discuss the recommended treatment plan. Together, you and your doctor decide on the treatment options that are right for you. Learn more about treatment planning »
Stanford esophageal cancer experts from several specialties meet as a team in weekly tumor boards. Based on the diagnosis, we determine our recommendations for the best sequence of treatment for each patient.
We collect your previous test reports and other medical records. We may need your help to do so, in case you need to sign a release form with your doctor.
a. Our goal is to review them before we meet with you so that we understand your unique case. Knowing the details of any previous diagnoses and treatments helps us provide the best possible care for you.
b. When you schedule your first appointment, our patient coordinators will contact your primary care physician and any other doctors to gather your medical records. We may need your help to do so, in case you need to sign a release form with your doctor. If we cannot obtain them in time, we may need to reschedule your appointment. You can speak with your patient coordinator or your doctor for more details.
c. Some types of medical records that you should keep include:
- Imaging test results, either on paper or stored on a DVD
- Pathology reports from any biopsies or surgeries
- Operative reports from any surgeries
- List of medications, doses, and how long you took them
- Discharge summary if you had a hospital stay
- Contact information for health care providers who treated you for cancer
close First Visit
a. Our team meets with you for a thorough diagnostic evaluation. We gather more information during your first appointment but may still need additional tests to confirm or rule out a diagnosis.
b. If needed, you may undergo further imaging tests, blood work, or a biopsy.
close Consultation
a. Your providers will review the results of your tests as they are completed. Your providers will contact you with recommendations for the next steps in your care.
b. Many health care professionals collaborate in the process and provide expert analysis, including your oncologist (cancer doctor), radiologist, and pathologist.
c. Your care team will use all the results of your testing to determine the stage of your cancer. Staging describes the size of the cancer and whether (and how far) it has spread. Staging is the most important step in planning your treatment. Your care team make recommendations for treatment based on your cancer stage and your overall health. Learn about esophageal cancer stages.
The oncologist (either medical, surgical, or radiation) who will begin your first treatment meets with you to discuss the recommended treatment plan. Together, you and your doctor decide on the treatment options that are right for you. Learn more about treatment planning »
close Test Results
Stanford esophageal cancer experts from several specialties meet as a team in weekly tumor boards. Based on the diagnosis, we determine our recommendations for the best sequence of treatment for each patient.
close Complex Cases
Doctors often will suspect esophageal cancer when patients give a history of certain symptoms.
Learn more about symptoms of esophageal cancer »
If a doctor or facility outside Stanford has already given you a diagnosis, we will have your results sent to our pathologists. They will review your test results and confirm or correct your diagnosis.
At Stanford, we tailor the diagnostic phase of esophageal cancer care to each individual patient. If you need further testing to complete your diagnosis, your doctor and care team will work with you to determine which tests you need. Tests may include:
- Imaging (Radiology) »
To obtain the most precise understanding of your cancer, your doctor may schedule you for different types of imaging that diagnose cancer. If you have been screened elsewhere and received abnormal results, we may perform additional imaging, if needed. The most commonly used tests include CT scans and PET scans, which help evaluate if the cancer has spread outside of the local area of the esophagus. - Biopsy (Pathology) »
If your imaging or other screening tests show that you may have cancer, you will need an endoscopy and biopsy if not already performed. This test takes a tiny sample of cells from abnormal areas of esophageal tissue during an endoscopy exam. - Lab Tests (Blood Draws) »
Before and during treatment, your doctor will ask you to have your blood drawn and tested at a lab. Blood tests can provide a variety of information, helping to evaluate your overall medical status and plan your course of cancer treatment.