Esophageal Cancer Program

For patients with esophageal cancer, transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy (removing the esophagus without opening the chest) was pioneered and refined at the University of Michigan by Mark Orringer, M.D. More than 2,000 patients have undergone this operation at the University of Michigan in the past 30 years, giving U-M physicians the most experience with this procedure in the United States.

People with esophageal cancer are diagnosed and treated by our Thoracic Oncology Team which is made up of surgeons and medical oncologists. This is a rare cancer, but our doctors have more than 30 years of experience treating it.  The Thoracic Oncology Program is also a leader in the development of combined modality therapy for esophageal cancer, a therapy in which patients are treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery in an attempt to improve their chances for survival.

• Surgery

  Transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy is a surgery which removes the esophagus without opening the chest.  Over 97% of our patients recover completely, with an average hospital stay of seven days.

• Support

  The Rogel Cancer Center features Patient Support Services. This program is dedicated to helping those impacted by lymphoma with a variety of support, from Art Therapy to Social Work.  [this links to the PSS]

Patients: Please call 734-647-8902.

Healthcare professionals: Please call our M-LINE service: 800-962-3555.

Scheduling Appointments Online

If you have signed up for an account on the MyUofMHealth patient portal, you can manage and request appointments with your U-M physician online. Under the “Appointments” tab on MyUofMHealth.org, you can view upcoming or past appointments, cancel appointments up to 24 hours before your scheduled time, and request a new appointment.

Visit MyUofMHealth to register for or log into the patient portal.

Rogel Cancer Center has a variety of clinical trials available, ranging from chemoprevention studies to the evaluation of state-of-the-art investigational therapies. The Thoracic Cancer team has expertise with emerging technologies, including:

• stereotactic radiosurgery
• radiofrequency ablation
• photodynamic therapy
• esophageal and airway stenting
• ultrasound-guided transbronchial/transesophageal biopsy
• video-assisted thoracoscopy