Oesophageal carcinoma: the view from East Birmingham.

Oesophageal carcinoma is a bad, but not a hopeless, disease. Overall survival is poor but a 5-year survival rate in the region of 30% can be obtained with surgical resection in properly selected patients. In this review we outline our overall strategy for the management of patients with both localized and advanced disease, based on more than 1500 cases treated over the past 14 years.