Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. The aim is to destroy cancer
cells, while causing the least possible damage to healthy cells.
Chemotherapy for oesophageal cancer may be given alone, or it may be combined with radiation
therapy (chemoradiation).
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When is chemotherapy used?
For oesophageal cancer, chemotherapy may be used:
- before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) – to shrink a large tumour and destroy any cancer cells that may have spread
- after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) – to reduce the chance of the disease coming back
- combined with radiation therapy – this is called chemoradiation
- on its own (palliative treatment) – for people unable to have surgery or where cancer has spread to different parts of the body.
For people having surgery, chemotherapy is now commonly recommended before and after surgery.
How is it given?
Chemotherapy drugs are usually given through a drip inserted into a vein (intravenous infusion).
They may also be given through a central venous access device (CVAD) or as tablets you swallow. You
will usually have treatment as an outpatient. Most people have a combination of chemotherapy drugs over several sessions. There may be a rest period of a few weeks between each session.
For more on this, see our general section on Chemotherapy.
Side effects of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy can cause nausea and/or vomiting, appetite changes, difficulty swallowing, mouth ulcers, skin and nail changes, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet, ringing in the ears or hearing loss, changed bowel habits (e.g. constipation, diarrhoea), and hair loss/thinning.
Chemotherapy affects your immune system, so you may also be more likely to catch infections. If you
feel unwell or have a temperature of 38°C or higher, seek urgent medical attention.
Find information on chemotherapy in Arabic, Greek, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
→ READ MORE: Immunotherapy for oesophageal cancer
Video: What is chemotherapy?
Watch this video to learn more about chemotherapy (Open Settings 
to turn on auto-generated subtitles in your language).
Podcast: Making Treatment Decisions
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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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