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Radio frequency ablation following EC diagnosis
My husband (67 years old) was diagnosed with stage 3 N0M0 in July 2024. He received 3/5 planned chemo treatments as well as radiation. The radiation treatments were stronger than standard treatment. At the time of diagnosis, the tumor was so large while doing an endoscopy the scope could not pass through region where tumor was located. The tumor was in the presence of Barretts Esophagus (never had any symptoms of this). He was not a candidate for surgery due to multiple other health issues.
We have had regular CT scans and endoscopies that have looked ok since completing treatment. GI doctor in January 2026 off the cuff following that endoscopy that he may want to do an ablation along with the endoscopy next time. We went into to GI office and saw PA who basically did vital signs, went over meds and had consents for procedure signed. EGD/Ablation were done on June 19th. My husband had been having some difficulty swallowing and feeling as though food did not want to go down prior to this procedure. Now things are much worse. It has been 3 1/2 weeks since the procedure.
We saw his radiation therapist who seemed a little surprised that an ablation was done to that area because of having higher risk of strictures. My husband also had CT scan (chest, abdominal, pelvis) 2 1/2 weeks following ablation. CT showed 2 lymph nodes that had grown since prior CT in December 2025. CT also showed increased thickening of the esophagus. Radiation oncologist thought maybe this was related to having the ablation and the ablation was causing the inflammation.
When the GI doctor completed endoscopy/ablation we were told we have to go back for a repeat endoscopy/ablation in 4-6 weeks and then continue this regimen every4-6 months going forward.
Has anyone gone through this type treatment? My husband is struggling everyday to eat following the ablation. Drinking liquids even pose a problem at times. We were never informed this would be something that had to be repeated. We thought it was a once and done treatment. I would love to hear back from others who have also experienced this.
Thank you!
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I’m sorry to learn of the issues your husband is having. I had Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) of my esophagus in February of this year, and had symptoms very similar to your husband.
Some background- I have never had any staged cancer, although have had some pre-cancerous tissue (dysplasia) in my esophagus.
I have had chronic acid reflux for most of my life, and in 2015 I had an issue swallowing food (I had to run to a bathroom and throw it up). An endoscopy showed well developed Barretts and I had my esophagus dilated, and was painful for about a week afterwards. I then had an ongoing schedule every 3 years to have an endoscopy, plus 40mg daily Omeprazole. Then, in 2024, a biopsy sample showed some tendency for dysplasia. So, endoscopies were now every 6 months.
A new GI guy did a 6-monthly endoscopy late in 2025, and wanted to send an additional biopsy sample to have it tested in a different way, which showed that dysplasia and cancer were eventually highly probable, and so he scheduled the RFA, which occurred in February of this year.
Sorry if the background info was too long. So, back to the RFA and your post. My new GI guy repeated to me probably a half-dozen times that this would hurt and be very unpleasant for at least a month and maybe more. But, as he indicated, the alternative was to not do it and take a chance with the cancer- not an option for me.
For the first two weeks I had trouble swallowing even water and saliva (gradually getting better over those 2 weeks), and I ate very small meals more frequently and had to chew every mouthful for over a minute to avoid the feeling that food got stuck in the area of the ablation. This went on for over 6 weeks from the procedure, getting better all the time, and I would say that at the 7-8 week period I was back to normal.
My new GI guy warned me that it’s rare to get rid of all the Barretts in one ablation, and at least two or even three may be required (including the first one). Luckily for me, when I went in for my second ablation, only some “touch-up” was needed and there were no further problems.
The thing about Barretts, dysplasia and esophageal cancer, according to my new GI guy, is that it’s largely asymptomatic. It’s not until Stage 3 or 4, where other organs are involved, that symptoms occur, hence the high mortality rate. I can fully sympathize with your husband’s condition and trouble, at least from the RFA perspective. Feel free to message me back, or at brucekn@me.com
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4 ReactionsPS to my earlier post:
Has your husband been to another GI doctor for second opinions on the best way forward? Based on my minimal understanding (as a p-attention only) on the RFA procedure, having ongoing sessions without an expected end point doesn’t fit with what I was told by my GI guy.
There’s not a lot to like about RFA from a patient perspective, however both my new GI guy and my own research have indicated that it’s the gold standard for Barretts.
@brucekn
Your situation (not having even stage 1 esophageal cancer)... is completely different than thenry612's post. He had stage 3 and a big ol solid tumor. Yes, sad that he could not go to esophagectomy, as that was most certainly the obvious next step. But I'm shocked any tumor board approved of ablation of his solid tumor. Maybe only for palliative QofLife reasons to extend things prior to hospice care one day... but from all I've seen, this is almost never done. In your case, whether in the Barrett's Esophagus stage, or some low or high grade dysplasia seen... various ablation procedures, or even EMR or ESD makes sense.
Gary
@brucekn
Bruce, My name is Robert "Chip" Driggs and I had/have the same diagnosis as you after my
PROTON radiation treatments in Knoxville, Tn. Diagnosed with Barrett's and Dysplasia in Brunswick, Ga, (so I could be closer to the Mayo Clinic in Jax. where I found a "wonderful"
gastroenterologist named Swathi Eluri who could do "cryoablation" when needed. I did have the procedure (freezing the dysplasia) and had no side effects! Have since moved back to Florida and found another great gastro. Dr. who could also do "cryo" if needed. Did an endoscopy 04/30 of this year and it was good so don't need another one for a year. Was advised thought to have "periodic " Pet Scans to make sure nothing shows up in the mean time. This "gastro" specialist's name is Dr. Luis Pena and is at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. I have been VERY fortunate in ALL the people and treatments I have had and turn 79 in Sept. I plan on doing some more traveling and enjoying "life" ,while I'm still told I can. I think maybe you should ask about "cryoablation" and I wish you all the best in days to come.
@chip30
Hi Robert:
Thanks for the info. I'm coming up on 75, and while the RFA recovery was at the time almost unbearable to go through, I'm so glad that I had it now that things are stabilized. I'm in Boulder, CO.
As far as the OP post here @thenry612 , and other comments made by @mrgvw, I too find the planned repeat scheduling of RFA treatment to be different to my understanding of how this works, even in the presence of a tumor. But I'm no expert and not in the medical field.