Esophageal Surgery at North Texas Surgical Specialists
After a diagnosis of esophageal cancer, patients may need surgery to remove the tumor. We offer surgical treatment to patients with esophageal cancer in Fort Worth, TX. Patients with esophageal cancer should contact North Texas Surgical Specialists to make an appointment with experienced esophageal surgeons in Fort Worth, TX.
Esophageal Cancer Procedures
Our surgeons can perform several different surgical procedures for patients with esophageal cancers. For small tumors, our surgeons may remove only the tumor and a small amount of tissue around it. For larger tumors, they may perform an esophagectomy, which involves the removal of part of the esophagus, as well as some nearby lymph nodes. Finally, for large, invasive tumors, our surgeons may perform an esophagogastrectomy, which involves the removal of part of the esophagus, some nearby lymph nodes, and the upper part of the stomach. These surgeries may be performed laparoscopically, or they may be performed as an open procedure.
After both esophagectomy and esophagogastrostomy, part of the esophagus will be gone from the patient’s body. To compensate for this, our surgeons will connect the remaining portion of the esophagus to the stomach. In some cases, they may need to use part of the colon to replace a portion of the missing tube.
What is the treatment for esophageal cancer?
Depending on the stage of cancer and other factors, treatment for esophageal cancer may include chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery. In many cases, patients will need more than one type of treatment.
What are the risks of esophageal cancer surgery?
Like all surgical procedures, esophageal cancer surgery poses some risks to the patient. Patients who undergo one of these procedures may experience bleeding or infections. Any surgery includes the possibility of a patient having a reaction to anesthesia, but serious complications are rare.
What are the Symptoms of Esophageal Cancer?
Many people may have a longstanding history of esophageal reflux or heartburn. They may have even been on reflux medicine for their symptoms. As the cancer starts to grow, most people experience problems with swallowing food. They may feel like food “gets stuck” in their esophagus. They find themselves chewing food longer before swallowing or avoiding certain foods. If untreated, the difficulty with solid foods can progress to difficulty drink liquids. Patients will often become malnourished and loose a significant amount of weight over a short period of time.
Will surgery cure esophageal cancer?
In some cases, patients with small tumors may not need any other treatment after esophageal cancer surgery. However, if the tumor is large and/or invasive, patients may also need to undergo radiation and/or chemotherapy to improve their chances of a cure.
Testimonials from our Patients
Maxia M.
PatientDr. Long Nguyen saved my life. The surgery was very complicated and he is my hero. The second surgery was excellent. I recommend North Texas Surgical Specialists to all of my friends and family.
James S.
PatientThe staff was very kind and helpful. Dr. Halbouni was very patient-oriented and took the time to explain everything with drawings and answered all of my questions in ways I could understand.
Dianna W.
PatientI love Dr. Jay Patel. He has a very good bedside manner, very professional & nice. I absolutely would recommend him to everyone. I love him & I thank him for everything & giving me my life back. I will forever be in his debt. He is so awesome! Thank you!
Sylvia T.
PatientDr Jay Patel performed two surgeries on me the first surgery was a fundoplication and a second surgery was a hiatal hernia repair. I am able to actually drink water now and not get heartburn and not have it come up through my nose. You listened to what I had to say about what my problem was and able to fix with no other doctor would do they just kept overlooking everything so once again I want to tell you thank you so very much this is a big change in my life after going through this for so many years.
