Stages, types and grades of oesophageal cancer
Staging oesophageal cancer is very complicated. It depends on:
what type of oesophageal cancer you have (squamous cell or adenocarcinoma)
the grade of your cancer (how abnormal the cells look)
whether doctors stage your cancer using tests and scans (clinical staging) or after surgery (pathological staging)
When you read the information on this page, it's helpful to know what type of oesophageal cancer you have and whether the doctor is using pathological or clinical staging. Talk to your specialist doctor or nurse if you are unsure. They can help you understand more about your cancer stage.
Read more about how doctors stage oesophageal cancer
Doctors use different systems to stage oesophageal cancer. This page is about stage 1 cancer, which is part of the number staging system. This system has 5 stages, stage 0 (high grade dysplasia) to stage 4.
This page also tells you what stage 1 means in the TNM system. This system describes:
the size of the primary tumour (T)
whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes (N)
whether the cancer has spread to another part of the body (M)
Find out about the TNM staging system for oesophageal cancer
Squamous cell cancers develop from squamous cells that make up the inner lining of your oesophagus.
Clinical staging means your doctor uses test and scan results to stage your cancer. This is different to pathological staging, which doctors use after surgery.
Your doctor might tell you your clinical stage to begin with. And if you go on to have surgery, your stage might change when the doctor finds out your pathological stage.
Adenocarcinomas are cancers that develop in gland cells. These cells make mucus in the lining of the oesophagus.
Clinical staging means your doctor uses test and scan results to stage your cancer. This is different to pathological staging, which doctors use after surgery.
Your doctor might tell you your clinical stage to begin with. And if you go on to have surgery, your stage might change when the doctor finds out your pathological stage.
Surgery is the main treatment. You don't usually need any other treatment before or after your operation.
You have surgery to remove part or all of your oesophagus. This is called an oesophagectomy.
For very small, early stage cancers you might be able to have surgery through a thin flexible tube (endoscope) to remove cancer from the lining of the oesophagus. You might have an endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).
You might have chemoradiotherapy instead of surgery if you have squamous cell cancer or you are unable to have surgery.
Last reviewed: 18 Aug 2023
Next review due: 18 Aug 2026
Survival depends on many factors including the stage and type of your oesophageal cancer.
Find out more about Stages, types and grades of oesophageal cancer
You might have surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy or a combination of these treatments. This depends on a number of factors including the stage and type of your oesophageal cancer.
You usually start by seeing your GP. They might refer you to a specialist and organise tests.
Oesophageal cancer is a cancer of the food pipe. The food pipe is also called the oesophagus or gullet and is part of the digestive system.
Oesophageal cancer starts in the food pipe, also known as your oesophagus or gullet. The oesophagus is the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach.
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