Introduction

Cancer of the esophagus affects men more often than women. In 2008, approximately 16,470 new cases of esophageal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Esophageal cancer occurs most commonly in people over the age of 60.

Esophageal cancer develops in the long muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. This tube is called the esophagus. Its main function is to carry the food and drink that you swallow down to your stomach. Esophageal cancer generally starts from the innermost layer of this muscular tube and grows outward.

There are two main types of esophageal cancer. One is squamous cell carcinoma, which arises from the cells that line the esophagus. The other is adenocarcinoma, which arises in the cells in the lower part of the esophagus, near the stomach. Other names for esophageal cancer include esophagus cancer, esophageal carcinoma, and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

The exact cause of esophageal cancer is not known. Factors that are thought to increase the risk of esophageal cancer include smoking and any other kind of tobacco use, long-term alcohol use, a diet low in fruits and vegetables, and being overweight. Additional risk factors include heartburn with long-term irritation of the esophagus, being exposed to chemicals that irritate the esophagus, having certain inherited disorders that affect the esophagus, or having other types of head or neck cancer.