• Moderator: Dr. Omar Abdihamid
• Speakers: Dr. Juma Odoro, Dr. Rogers Mongare, Dr. Kevin Makori
• Date: 9 April 2026

This session examined esophageal cancer management through a multidisciplinary lens, bringing together surgical, radiotherapeutic and systemic treatment perspectives across the continuum of care.

A central theme was that treatment selection depends on accurate staging, patient fitness, disease burden and early alignment between disciplines. In many African settings, patients may present with locally advanced disease and nutritional compromise, making timely diagnosis, staging and supportive care central to outcomes.

The surgical discussion focused on the role of resection in appropriately selected patients, where careful assessment of resectability, operative risk, nodal disease and perioperative optimisation shape whether surgery can offer curative benefit. The session also reinforced that surgery is rarely a standalone decision; it must be integrated with oncology input and long-term follow-up.

Radiotherapy was addressed as part of multimodal care, with roles in neoadjuvant, definitive, adjuvant and palliative pathways depending on stage and patient factors. The discussion highlighted the need for precise planning, symptom control and realistic treatment pathways that reflect available infrastructure and patient access.

In metastatic disease, systemic therapy remains central, with evolving use of combination approaches, targeted treatment and biomarker-directed strategies. However, implementation must be balanced with access, cost, toxicity, performance status and local service realities.

Across the session, a consistent message emerged: esophageal cancer care requires deliberate sequencing—matching the right treatment to the right patient at the right point in the disease course.

Key Takeaways

• Esophageal cancer management depends on accurate staging, nutrition assessment and multidisciplinary planning.
• Surgery remains important in resectable disease but requires careful patient selection and perioperative optimisation.
• Radiotherapy has curative, consolidative and palliative roles within multimodal treatment.
• Metastatic disease management is evolving with systemic combinations and biomarker-driven options.
• Access, treatment tolerance and supportive care shape real-world implementation in Kenya and the wider region.
• Early referral and MDT decision-making are critical to improving outcomes.