AI Cure is a research tool showing open data. Not medical advice. Discuss with your doctor. Terms

📰 Latest breakthroughs
🗺️ Disease Atlas · Gastrointestinal disease

esophageal cancer

A primary or metastatic malignant neoplasm involving the esophagus.

🔔 Follow weekly
🧬12810genes / proteins with evidence
💊156drugs and clinical candidates
🧪12+recruiting trials worldwide
✅1approved
📈27phase 3
🧬

Understand esophageal cancer

Cancer · Cells that grow out of control
🎓 Learn more

What it is

Painful or difficult swallowing

Weight loss

A hoarse voice or cough that doesn't go away

From MedlinePlus: Esophageal Cancer (US National Library of Medicine) ↗

🧬 Cancer: Cancer is a group of diseases in which some of the body's cells grow and divide without control, and can spread to other parts of the body.

❓ Why it happens

  • Changes (mutations) build up in the genes that tell a cell when to grow, divide and die.
  • Most of these changes happen during life: tobacco, too much sun, alcohol, some infections (such as HPV and hepatitis B and C), radiation, obesity and ageing all raise the risk.
  • Some people inherit a faulty gene that raises their risk, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2.

🫀 What it does to the body

  • Cancer cells form a lump (tumour) that can press on or invade nearby organs.
  • They can travel through the blood or lymph to start new tumours elsewhere (metastasis).
  • Blood cancers crowd out healthy blood cells in the bone marrow.

🧱 Why it is hard to cure

  • Every cancer is different, even between two people with the same type - and inside one tumour.
  • Cancer cells keep changing, so they can learn to resist a medicine that worked at first.
  • Cancer cells are the body's own cells, so killing them without harming healthy cells is hard.
  • Many cancers cause no symptoms until they have spread, and a new medicine often takes more than ten years to go from the lab to patients.

🚀 What research is trying now

  • Targeted medicines against the exact gene change in a tumour (for example EGFR, ALK or KRAS).
  • Immunotherapy that helps the immune system recognise cancer, including CAR-T cell therapy.
  • Personalised cancer vaccines built from each tumour's mutations, now in late trials.
  • Blood tests that look for tumour DNA to find cancer earlier, and AI to read scans and slides.

General information about cancer, reviewed by people; it does not describe any one person. Below: the evidence for esophageal cancer itself.

🤖

AI briefing

Where the science on esophageal cancer stands, from the evidence on this page

AI reads the targets, drugs, trials and papers below and writes where the science stands — every claim cited. It is shared with everyone who opens esophageal cancer.

🎯

Top targets

Genes and proteins ranked by Open Targets evidence (0-1)
TP53 tumor protein p53PROTACothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.77
CDKN2A cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.69
TGFBR2 transforming growth factor beta receptor 2PROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.68
PIK3CA phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alphaPROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.66
SMAD4 SMAD family member 4PROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.65
WWOX WW domain containing oxidoreductasePROTACantibody🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.62
ARID1A AT-rich interaction domain 1APROTAC🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.62
FGFR2 fibroblast growth factor receptor 2PROTACantibodyothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.61
FBXW7 F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7PROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.61
PDCD1 programmed cell death 1PROTACantibodyothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.61
NFE2L2 NFE2 like bZIP transcription factor 2PROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.60
KMT2D lysine methyltransferase 2DPROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.59
FAT1 FAT atypical cadherin 1PROTACantibody🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.59
KRAS KRas proto-oncogene, GTPasePROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.57
ARID2 AT-rich interaction domain 2PROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.57

Green labels: what the target is known to be druggable by. The score combines genetics, somatic mutations, drugs, expression and literature.

💊

Drugs and candidates

Every medicine linked to esophageal cancer, by how far it has got
Approved · 1
TislelizumabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorApproved
In phase 2 / 3 · 20
AspirinCyclooxygenase inhibitorPhase 3
CamrelizumabProgrammed cell death protein 1 antagonistPhase 3
CapecitabineThymidylate synthase inhibitorPhase 3
CarboplatinPhase 3
CetuximabEpidermal growth factor receptor erbB1 inhibitorPhase 3
CisplatinPhase 3
Show all 20
DocetaxelTubulin inhibitorPhase 3
FluorouracilThymidylate synthase inhibitorPhase 3
GimeracilDihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase inhibitorPhase 3
IrinotecanDNA topoisomerase I inhibitorPhase 3
Leucovorin CalciumPhase 3
MethylprednisoloneGlucocorticoid receptor agonistPhase 3
NimotuzumabEpidermal growth factor receptor erbB1 inhibitorPhase 3
NivolumabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorPhase 3
OteracilPhase 3
OxaliplatinPhase 3
PaclitaxelTubulin inhibitorPhase 3
PembrolizumabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorPhase 3
PlatinumPhase 3
PropofolGABA-A receptor; anion channel positive allosteric modulatorPhase 3
Early trials · 20
AfuresertibSerine/threonine-protein kinase AKT inhibitorPhase 1/2
Agatolimod SodiumToll-like receptor 9 agonistPhase 1/2
AldesleukinInterleukin-2 receptor agonistPhase 1/2
AvelumabProgrammed cell death 1 ligand 1 otherPhase 1/2
Bintrafusp AlfaProgrammed cell death 1 ligand 1 binding agent; Transforming growth factor beta binding a…Phase 1/2
Bulumtatug FuvedotinPhase 1/2
Show all 20
CetrelimabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorPhase 1/2
Cm-4307Phase 1/2
CyclophosphamidePhase 1/2
DecitabineDNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 3A inhibitor; DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 1 inh…Phase 1/2
EntinostatHistone deacetylase inhibitorPhase 1/2
FavezelimabLymphocyte activation gene 3 protein inhibitorPhase 1/2
FludarabinePhase 1/2
Immunocytokine Nhs-Il12Phase 1/2
IsosorbidePhase 1/2
Oblimersen SodiumBcl-2 mRNA antisense inhibitorPhase 1/2
Pexipepimut-SPhase 1/2
Sacituzumab GovitecanTumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2 binding agent; DNA topoisomerase I inhibitorPhase 1/2
TiragolumabT-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains inhibitorPhase 1/2
TroculeucelPhase 1/2
🧪

Recruiting trials

Worldwide, open to new patients now
Efficacy and Safety of Concurrent PD-1 Inhibitor and Radiotherapy With Immunonutrition for Esophageal Squamou…NCT06342167 · Phase 2 · 📍 BeijingFeasibility of the LUM Imaging System for Detection of Gastrointestinal CancersNCT02584244 · Phase 1, Phase 2 · 📍 BostonDevelopment and Validation of a Risk Prediction Model for Gastric Retention in Patients Undergoing Sedated Ga…NCT07104214 · n/a · 📍 HangzhouAn Evaluation of Dose-escalation for Intrathoracic TumoursNCT06794125 · NA · 📍 KelownaEvaluation of Cell Changes in Blood and Tissue in Cancers of the Lung, Esophagus and Lung LiningNCT00242723 · n/a · 📍 BethesdaAdebrelimab ±Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Unresectable Locally Advance…NCT06510660 · Phase 2 · 📍 FuzhouA Study of PF-08046054/SGN-PDL1V in Advanced Solid TumorsNCT05208762 · Phase 1 · 📍 BirminghamA Study of Bemosubaiabimab Combined With Anlotinib and Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Oli…NCT07455019 · Phase 2 · 📍 NanjingRegistry Platform Gastric/Esophageal Cancer (SAPHIR)NCT04290806 · n/a · 📍 Multiple LocationsImpact of CES1 Genotype on Capecitabine Exposure in Cancer PatientsNCT07114627 · n/a · 📍 RotterdamLucid Registry StudyNCT05965999 · n/a · 📍 Lake ForestA Trial of the Combination of Afatinib and Palbociclib in Previously Treated Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cel…NCT06753747 · Phase 1, Phase 2 · 📍 Chengdu Search more trials →
🛡️

AI Cure shows public evidence (Open Targets, ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, openFDA, DepMap, AlphaFold) with its source, and AI summaries that cite it — not medical advice and not a cure. Treatment decisions belong with your doctor. Research ideas are shared only with approved researchers and labs, who can test them. In an emergency call your local emergency number (112 in India and Europe, 911 in the US). AI Cure Terms of Use · Privacy