Esophageal Cancer: The Basics
The esophagus is a tube made out of muscle that connects your mouth to your stomach. Esophageal cancer is caused by esophageal cells growing out of control. As the number of cells grows, they form a tumor.
Esophageal cancer that has spread from the esophagus to another part of the body is called metastatic cancer.
Risks of Esophageal Cancer
Risks can be:
- Age. People age 55 and over are at a higher risk for esophageal cancer.
- Men are more likely than women to get esophageal cancer.
- Smoking and drinking alcohol, especially doing both.
- Health issues like reflux (heartburn) and Barrett’s esophagus.
- Weighing more than you should.
- Eating a lot of pickled, dried, or smoked foods, drinking very hot liquids, and possibly eating a diet high in processed meat.
- Certain diseases or syndromes like Achalasia, Tylosis, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, Plummer-Vinson syndrome, Howel Evans’ syndrome, Bloom syndrome, Fanconi anemia, HPV, or a history of certain other cancers.
- Injury to the esophagus.
Signs of Esophageal Cancer
Signs can be:
- Trouble with swallowing which can make you lose weight.
- Feeling like food is getting stuck in your chest.
- Pain when swallowing.
Diagnosis of Esophageal Cancer
When your healthcare provider thinks you may have esophageal cancer, they will do a full exam of your body and ask you questions about your health history. They may order tests like:
- Barium Swallow.
- Endoscopy.
- CT/MRI/PET scans.
- Blood tests.
These tests are important, but a biopsy is the only way to know for sure if you have cancer. A biopsy:
- Looks at a piece of the esophagus for cancer cells.
- Is used to find out the cancer type, how normal it is (grade), and if it has spread.
- May look at samples from your lymph nodes to check for cancer.
A pathology report sums up these results and is sent to your healthcare provider, often 5-10 days after the biopsy. This report is an important part of planning your treatment. You can ask for a copy of your report for your records.
Staging Esophageal Cancer
To guide treatment, esophageal cancer is "staged." This stage is based on:
- Size and location of the tumor.
- Whether cancer cells are in the lymph nodes.
- Whether cancer cells are in other parts of the body.
Stages range from stage I (one), the smallest most confined tumors, to stage IV (four), tumors that have spread to other parts of the body, also called metastatic cancer. The stage and type of esophageal cancer will guide your treatment plan.
Treatment
Common treatments for esophageal cancer are:
These treatments may be used alone or in combination.
This article is a basic guide to esophageal cancer. You can learn more about your type of esophageal cancer and treatment by using the links below.
Esophageal Cancer: Staging and Treatment
Surgical Procedures: Surgery and Staging for Esophageal Cancer