Sometimes clinical trials have to be stopped because the therapy being tested does more harm than good. This is what happened in recent esophageal cancer study.
Red meat and processed meats have come under fire lately. Diets loaded with hamburgers, pork chops, bacon, hotdogs and pot roast are associated with heart disease and increased risks of certain cancers.
Doctors have known for a while that radiation given in addition to chemotherapy and surgery helps esophageal cancer patients live longer. What hasn’t been well understood is the best time a patient should receive this treatment – before or after surgery.
Patients who have esophageal cancer can also have what's known as multiple primary cancers (MPC). These cancers appear before or at the same time as the esophageal cancer.
Cancers of the esophagus and stomach often require treatment with more than one type of chemotherapy agent. Researchers now know which medication is best if initial, or first-line, therapy fails.
