Some people say that just the method of excision is an irritation of the tumor and will cause it to spread more quickly? Is that true?
There is no scientific basis for this claim. Neither surgical nor endoscopic procedures cause the spread of tumors by stimulating them, and a tumor-free principle is followed during the operative operation to avoid the spread of tumor cells as a result of the operation. The purpose of either surgical or endoscopic surgery is to remove the tumor as cleanly as possible and thus cure the patient.
If a patient is diagnosed with early-stage esophageal cancer and has a radical resection, the probability of living beyond 5 years (5-year survival rate) is more than 95%, and the probability of further metastases or recurrence after 5 years becomes very small.
Co-written by Dr. Wang Police, Peking University Cancer Hospital