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Oesophagus and stomach cancer · Help and support

Help with understanding your oesophagus or stomach cancer appointment

Your upper GI team and specialist nurse can explain your results, the choices available and the next steps. Ask them to show you on the model what your results mean.

Open the explorer Read the guide

If you feel unwell during or after treatment, use the 24-hour number your hospital team gave you. Otherwise call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

Most people with oesophageal or stomach cancer have an upper GI clinical nurse specialist (CNS), often also their key worker: the person to contact between appointments. Keep their name and direct number somewhere easy to find.

Someone to talk to

Words you may hear

Oesophagus
The food pipe: the tube from the throat to the stomach.
Gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ)
Where the oesophagus joins the stomach.
Upper GI
Upper gastrointestinal: the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum. Your team may be called the upper GI team.
Endoscopy (OGD)
A test using a thin, flexible tube with a camera, passed through the mouth to look inside the oesophagus and stomach.
EUS
Endoscopic ultrasound: a scan from inside the oesophagus or stomach, to see how deep a tumour has grown.
T stage
How deep the tumour has grown through the layers of the wall, from T1 (the inner lining) to T4 (through the wall).
Oesophagectomy
An operation to remove part of the oesophagus. The stomach is made into a tube to take its place.
Gastrectomy
An operation to remove part (partial) or all (total) of the stomach.
EMR and ESD
Ways of removing a very early tumour from the inside, through an endoscope.
Chemoradiotherapy
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy given together.
Dumping syndrome
Feeling faint, sweaty or sick after eating, when food passes into the bowel too quickly after stomach surgery.
CNS
Clinical nurse specialist: an experienced nurse who supports you through diagnosis and treatment.

Trusted information

The explorer is a simplified illustration for a conversation with your team. It cannot interpret your report, diagnose cancer, stage it or tell you which treatment is right.