Oesophagus Cancer
Treatment in Malaysia

At Onco Life Centre, our team takes a personalized approach to treating Oesophagus Cancer in Malaysia. We focus not only on treating the disease, but also on supporting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our patients every step of the way.

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Cancer of the esophagus begins in the inner layer of the esophageal wall and spreads through the esophageal wall, to lymph nodes as well as the blood vessels. Esophageal cancer can also spread to the lungs, liver, stomach, and other parts of the body.

Types of oesophageal cancer

There are 2 main types of esophageal cancer:

Squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus starts in the squamous cells that line the esophagus. It usually develops in the upper and middle part of the esophagus.

Adenocarcinoma of esophagus
Adenocarcinoma of esophagus begins in the glandular tissue in the lower part of the esophagus, which leads to stomach.

Neuroendocrine cancers, lymphomas and sarcoma make up less than 1% of esophageal cancers.

Why Choose Onco Life Centre?

Expertise You Can Trust, Innovation You Can Count On

Over 20 Years of
Experience

Our highly-qualified consultant oncologists boast extensive experience treating a vast array of cancers. Their training at prestigious institutions in Australia and the UK ensures exceptional expertise that you can trust.

Collaboration with
Leading Genomics Experts

For complex cases, our oncologists collaborate with leading genomics specialists in the US. This ensures access to the latest treatments for all cancer types.

Unmatched
patient experience

You and your healthcare experience are at the centre of what we do at Onco Life Centre. Our core values of Empathy, Dedication, Professionalism and Service Quality have driven us since our earliest days.

Treatment Methods

Treatment recommendations by our cancer specialists at Onco Life Centre for Oesophagus Cancer are tailored, personalized, and depend on tumor stage, tumor genomics (HER2, PDL1, TMB, MSI, NTRK1-3 fusion, BRAF, BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 gene mutation status), pre-existing medical conditions, your overall health, and nutritional status.

Targeted therapy and immunotherapy is the foundation of precision medicine. Our Oncologists at Onco Life Centre work in close collaboration with Cancer Genomics Experts in the US to perform cancer gene mapping and DNA sequencing on our patients’ cancer tissue. Regular teleconferencing and live exchange of information with the US Genomics Experts allows our Oncologists to specifically design unique treatment plans for our patients. By targeting specific genes and proteins that are involved in driving cancer survival and progression, our patients at Onco Life Centre are experiencing significant and sustained improvements in their cancer responses and living longer.

At Onco Life Centre, we have made it our mission to improve the everyday lives of our patients. Our Oncologists and Pharmacists will seek to identify Compassionate Drug Access Programs that allows pre-approved new drugs outside clinical trials (and prior to product launch) for our patients who do not have satisfactory therapy options available.

Surgery

For most people with locally advanced esophageal cancer, ASCO recommends chemo radiotherapy or chemotherapy before surgery because combined therapy has been shown to help people live longer. After chemo radiotherapy and surgery. Immunotherapy may be recommended if tumor cells are still found in the tissue removed during surgery. If surgery is not possible, the best treatment option is often a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

The most common surgery to treat esophageal cancer is called an esophagectomy.

In addition to surgery to treat the disease, surgery may be used to help people eat and relieve symptoms caused by the cancer. This is called palliative surgery. Putting in a feeding tube can enable nutrition to be directly fed into the stomach or intestine. A tube that passes nutrition directly into a person’s stomach is called a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy or PEG.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy targets the cancer’s specific genes, proteins, or the tissue environment that contributes to cancer growth and survival. This type of treatment blocks the growth and spread of cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy cells. To find the most effective treatment, our oncologist will run tests to identify the genes, proteins, and other factors in your tumor.

HER2-targeted therapy
Some cancers may make too much of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). These types of cancer are referred to as HER2-positive. When your esophageal cancer expresses high levels of HER2, it can drive its growth and spread. For HER2-positive cancers, certain types of targeted therapy may work well to treat these cancers.

Anti-angiogenesis therapy
Anti-angiogenesis therapy is focused on stopping angiogenesis, which is the process of making new blood vessels. Because a tumor needs the nutrients delivered by blood vessels to grow and spread, the goal of anti-angiogenesis therapies is to “starve” the tumor.

Please click here to learn more about Targeted Therapy.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is designed to boost your body’s natural defenses to fight the cancer. The PD-1 pathway is critical in the immune system’s ability to control cancer growth. PD-1 and PD-L1 antibodies, which are called immune checkpoint inhibitors, block this pathway and can stop the growth of esophageal cancer. Drugs that target this pathway can be effective against MSI high or MSI-H, or PD-L1 positive esophageal cancers.

ASCO recommends immune checkpoint inhibitors in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for people with advanced HER2-negative, PD-L1-positive esophageal or gastro esophageal junction adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Combination immunotherapy involving CTLA-4 inhibitor depending on how much PD-L1 is expressed.

Please click here to learn more about Immunotherapy.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy can be given before surgery to shrink the tumor and make it easier to completely remove it. Chemo may also be given, often along with radiation, after surgery to kill any groups of cancer cells that may have been left behind but are too small to be seen. The goal is to keep the cancer from coming back.

Chemo may also be used as the main treatment for esophageal cancer that has spread to distant organs, to relieve cancer related symptons as well as to prolong patient survival.

Radiation treatment

Before surgery, radiation can be used along with chemo to try to shrink some tumors to make surgery easier. After surgery, radiation can be used to kill very small areas of cancer that cannot be seen and removed during surgery. Radiation, especially when combined with chemotherapy (chemo), might delay or prevent the cancer from coming back after surgery and may help people to live longer. Radiation can also be used to slow the growth and ease symptoms of advanced esophageal cancer such as pain, bleeding, and trouble eating.

Treatment By Stage

In general, stages 0, 1, 2 and 3 colorectal cancer are often curable with surgery. However, many patients with stage 3 colorectal cancer, and some with stage 2, receive chemotherapy after surgery to increase the chance of eliminating the disease. Patients with stage 2 and 3 rectal cancer will also receive radiation therapy with chemotherapy either before or after surgery.

Stage 0 colorectal cancer

The usual treatment is a polypectomy, or removal of a polyp, during a colonoscopy.

Stage 1 colorectal cancer

The usual treatment is a polypectomy, or removal of a polyp, during a colonoscopy.

Stage 2 colorectal cancer

Surgery is often the first treatment. Patients with stage 2 colorectal cancer can talk to our oncologists at Onco Life Centre about whether adjuvant chemotherapy is needed after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells. For patients with stage 2 rectal cancer, radiation therapy is usually given in combination with chemotherapy, either before or after surgery.

Stage 3 colorectal cancer

Treatment for stage 3 colon cancer usually involves surgical removal of the tumor followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. For patients with rectal cancer, radiation therapy may be used along with chemotherapy before or after surgery, along with adjuvant chemotherapy.

Metastatic (stage 4) colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer can spread to distant organs, such as the liver, lungs, the tissue called the peritoneum that lines the abdomen, or a woman’s ovaries. Our oncologists at Onco Life Centre will help you tailor your treatment plan, which may include a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and chemotherapy. If the colorectal cancer has spread only to the liver (colorectal cancer liver metastasis) and if surgery is possible either before or after chemotherapy, there is a chance of complete cure. Even when curing the cancer is not possible, surgery may add months or even years to a person’s life. Determining who can benefit from surgery for cancer that has spread to the liver is often a complicated process that involves doctors of multiple specialties working together to plan the best treatment option. The role of immunotherapy for advanced colon cancer treatment has been promising. Using immuntherapy in patients with mismatch-repair-deficient mutations or microsatellite instability in their tumors has shown remarkable results. An immunue-checkpoint inhibitor can be used on its own, or in combination with CTLA4 inhibitor for such patients.

Transparency You Can Trust

At Onco Life Centre, we understand the financial burden associated with Oesophagus Cancer treatment. We are committed to transparency and will provide you with a personalized cost estimate during your initial consultation. Here is an estimate:

Chemotherapy

The cost for treating oesophagus cancer using chemotherapy for most of our patients is around MYR4,000 per cycle.

Targeted Therapy:

Adding in Targeted Therapy can go up to MYR5,000, depending on the specific type of targeted therapy drug used.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy can range from MYR8,000 and above depending on the specific type and dosage of immunotherapy drugs used.

Symptoms of oesophageal cancer

Difficulty and pain with swallowing, particularly when eating meat, bread, or raw vegetables. As the tumor grows, it can block the pathway to the stomach. Even liquid may be painful to swallow.
Pressure or burning in the chest
Indigestion or heartburn
Vomiting
Frequent choking on food
Unexplained weight loss
Coughing or hoarseness

Diagnosis of oesophageal cancer

Barium swallow
The patient swallows a liquid containing barium and then a series of x-rays are taken. If there is an abnormal looking area, a biopsy will be performed.
Upper endoscopy.
If there is an abnormal looking area, a biopsy will be performed. An inflatable balloon to stretch the esophagus can also help widen the blocked area so that food can pass through.
Endoscopic ultrasound.
This is used to find out if the tumor has grown into the wall of the esophagus, how deep the tumor has grown, and whether cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or other nearby structures.
Biomarker testing of the tumor.
Our Oncologist will recommend running laboratory tests on a tumor sample to identify specific genes, proteins, and other factors unique to the tumor. Results of these tests can help determine your treatment options. See Treatment Overview below for further details.
Computed tomography (CT) scan.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Positron emission tomography (PET).

Start Your Recovery

Our dedicated Patient Navigator will assist you with appointment scheduling. Contact us at +6012-3993260 (Call or Whatsapp ).

First Consultation

On appointment day, bring along all the medical reports and your identity documents, ie. identity card or passport. Our team will help you organize the medical reports for our oncologist to review. Our oncologist will discuss the treatment plan with you. Tele-consult is available for overseas patients.

Treatment Day

Come to our center on an agreed date and time for the treatment. Our team will take good care of you. You will be discharged on the same day. Yes, you will get to go home after every treatment visit as no overnight admission is required.

Stay on Track

Our dedicated patient navigator will be following up with you post treatment to check on your condition, to ensure that you are doing well. You will receive a reminder message on your phone for the next appointment date.