- Carcinoma of the oesophagus carries an extremely poor prognosis.  Two main histological types - squamous and adenocarcinoma - account for the majority of tumours.  The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the lower third of the oesophagus is currently increasing for unknown reasons.  Most tumours are unresectable at the time of diagnosis.  The insertion of stents and use of lasers to pass through tumour obstruction have become the principal methods of palliation.
- Carcinoma of the oesophagus may compress the left recurrent laryngeal nerve to cause change in voice.


Reference:
1. Anatomy at a Glance. Omar Faiz and David Moffat.  Blackwell Science. 2002.