This ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline provides key recommendations for managing oesophageal cancer. • The guideline covers clinical and pathological diagnosis, staging and risk assessment, treatment and follow-up. • Algorithms for the management of locoregional and advanced/metastatic disease are provided. • The author group encompasses a multidisciplinary group of experts from different institutions in Europe and Australia. • Recommendations are based on available scientific data and the authors’ collective expert opinion.