Working out how far the cancer has spread is called staging. It helps your doctors recommend the
best treatment for you.
Learn more about:
Staging
The TNM staging system is the method most often used to stage oesophageal cancers. TNM stands for
“tumour, node, metastasis”. The specialist gives numbers to the size of the tumour (T1–4), whether
or not lymph nodes are affected (N0–N3), and whether the cancer has spread or metastasised (M0 or
M1). Lower numbers mean the cancer is less advanced.
The TNM scores are combined to work out the overall stage of the cancer, from stage 1 to stage 4 (see table below). Ask your doctor to explain what the stage of the cancer means for you. You can also call Cancer Council 13 11 20.
Stages of oesophageal cancer
| stage 1 | early or limited cancer | tumours are found only in the oesophageal wall lining |
| stages 2-3 | locally advanced cancer | tumour has spread deeper into the layers of the oesophageal wall and to nearby lymph nodes |
| stage 4 | metastatic or advanced cancer | tumour has spread beyond the oesophageal wall to nearby lymph nodes or parts of the body, or to distant lymph nodes and parts of the body |
Prognosis
Prognosis means the expected outcome of a disease. You may wish to discuss your prognosis and treatment options with your doctor, but it is not possible for anyone to predict the exact course of the disease. Instead, your doctor can give you an idea about the general prognosis for people with the same type and stage of cancer.
To work out your prognosis and advise you on treatment options, your doctor will consider your test results; the type of cancer; the size of the cancer and how far it has grown into other tissue; whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes; how it might respond to treatment; and your age, level of fitness and medical history.
Generally, the earlier oesophageal cancer is diagnosed, the better the outcome of treatment. If cancer is found after it has spread, it may not respond as well to treatment.
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Key resource
Download a PDF booklet on this topic.
More resources
Prof David Watson, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Flinders University, and Senior Consultant Surgeon, Oesophago-Gastric Surgery Unit, Flinders Medical Centre, SA; Prof Bryan Burmeister, Senior Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare Fraser Coast and Hervey Bay Hospital, QLD; Dr Natalie Collier, Radiation Oncologist, Wollongong Hospital, NSW; A/Prof Melissa Eastgate, A/Executive Director, Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD; Natalie Lalor, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Victoria; Chris Menzies, Upper GI Cancer Nurse Consultant, Flinders Medical Centre and Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, SA; Tammy Milne, Consumer; Stefanie Simnadis, Clinical Dietitian, St John of God Subiaco Hospital, WA; Prof Rajvinder Singh, Professor of Medicine, University of Adelaide, and Director, Gastroenterology Department and Head of Endoscopy, Lyell McEwin Hospital, SA.
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