How Does Endoscopy Work?
- An upper endoscopy is a procedure that allows doctors to examine the upper digestive system, which includes the esophagus.
- During an endoscopy, a doctor will insert a thin, flexible tube with a camera attached down your throat and into the esophagus.
- These procedures can be used to diagnose esophageal cancer, and in rare cases, as part of treatment
- About 10% of esophageal cancer patients may be eligible for something called an endoscopic resection, where doctors remove cancer through the endoscope.
During an endoscopy, a doctor will insert a thin, flexible tube with a camera attached down your throat and into the esophagus.
Read More “The normal esophagus on endoscopy would look like your lips or the inside of your cheeks when you open your mouth,” Dr. Whit Burrows, a thoracic surgeon with the University of Maryland Medical System, explains to SurvivorNet. If a doctor is doing an endoscopy to check if you have esophageal cancer, they will be looking for certain abnormalities. Abnormalities of the esophagus that may indicate cancer include:
- Lack of uniformity in the esophagus
- Legions
- Irregularities
- Loss of symmetry
“It’s a very local problem,” Dr. Burrows said of stage 1 disease. “If it’s very, very superficial in this day and age, you don’t even need surgery. You can actually treat it through the endoscopy.”
For very early stage disease, doctors may be able to do something called an endoscopic resection, a minimally invasive procedure where they try to remove the cancer through the endoscopy. However, only about 10% of esophageal cancer patients can be treated with endoscopic resection alone.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- What do I need to do to prepare for an endoscopy?
- How can I prepare for recovery after the endoscopy?
- What are the next steps if some abnormality is found?
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