The role of chemotherapy in the treatment of esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer is a highly virulent malignancy with a poor prognosis. Adenocarcinomas of the proximal stomach and lower esophagus are rapidly increasing in incidence; the reasons for this remain unclear. Both epidermoid and adenocarcinomas have high local and distant failure rates when treated with conventional therapy. New developments in chemotherapy both in the neoadjuvant and advanced disease settings are under intense investigation in an attempt to improve the prognosis of esophageal cancer.