This National Cancer Institute (NCI) booklet (NIH Publication No. 08-1557) is about cancer ¹* of the esophagus ². Cancer that starts in this organ ³ may also be called esophageal cancer ⁴. Each year in the United States, about 13,000 men and 3,500 women are told they have this disease.

Learning about medical care for esophageal cancer can help you take an active part in making choices about your care. This booklet tells about:

• Diagnosis and staging
  
  
• Treatment
  
  
• Supportive care and nutrition
  
  
• Taking part in research studies

This booklet has lists of questions that you may want to ask your doctor. Many people find it helpful to take a list of questions to a doctor visit. To help remember what your doctor says, you can take notes or ask whether you may use a tape recorder. You may also want to have a family member or friend go with you when you talk with the doctor - to take notes, ask questions, or just listen.

For the latest information about cancer of the esophagus, please visit our Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/esophageal. Or, contact our Cancer Information Service. We can answer your questions about cancer. We can also send you NCI booklets and fact sheets. Call 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) or instant message us through the LiveHelp ⁵ service at http://www.cancer.gov/help.