What Is Esophageal Cancer?

This content has been reviewed and approved by

Chandra P. Belani, MD
Deputy Director, Penn State Cancer Institute
Miriam Beckner Professor of Medicine
Penn State University School of Medicine

If you've received a diagnosis of cancer in your esophagus, you should know that you are not alone. In 2008, approximately 16,470 new cases of esophageal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

The disease strikes African-Americans 50 percent more often than white Americans. Although a deadly disease, survival rates are increasing steadily.

Esophageal cancer develops in the esophagus, a long muscular tube that connects the throat (pharynx) to the stomach. The main job of the esophagus is to carry food and liquid to the stomach for digestion. Cancer of the esophagus starts from its innermost layer and grows outward.

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There are two main types of esophageal cancer, depending on the kind of cells that sustain damage. 

• Squamous cell carcinoma (cancer) - This cancer usually occurs because of damage to the normal squamous cells (thin, flat, plate-shaped cells) that line the esophagus. Most often, these cancers occur in the middle portion of the esophagus. This is the most common type of esophageal cancer in African-Americans and the most prevalent type of esophageal cancer worldwide.
  
• Adenocarcinoma - This cancer arises in the cells in the lower portion of the esophageal lining, near the stomach. This type of cancer is more common in white Americans than African-Americans and is increasing faster than any other cancer in the United States. The reason, according to some researchers, has to do with the rapid rise in the incidence of acid reflux disease (heartburn) in the United States.