What Is Esophageal Cancer | Understanding Your Esophagus | Types | Symptoms | Diagnosing | Stages | What Causes Esophageal Cancer?
In the last decade, major strides have been made in the early diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center offers comprehensive treatment for this disease from a team of experts.
Esophageal cancer occurs when cells in the esophagus begin to grow abnormally.
They do not respond to regular cell growth, division and death signals like they are supposed to. They also don’t organize normally.
Instead they grow into a tumor, which may extend into the open space inside your esophagus or break through underlying layers of your esophageal wall.
About 17,000 people are diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the United States each year.
The wall of your esophagus has several layers of tissue that work together to push food down into your stomach when you swallow.
Adenocarcinoma starts in the glandular epithelial cells, usually near the bottom of the esophagus, where the esophagus meets the stomach. Often these tumors arise in people with Barrett’s esophagus.
In the U.S., adenocarcinoma is more common than squamous cell carcinoma in the esophagus. The reverse is true in the rest of the world.
As the rates of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obesity have risen in the U.S., so has the rate of adenocarcinoma.
Squamous cell carcinoma starts in squamous cells anywhere in the esophagus, most often in the upper and middle esophagus.
As the use of cigarettes and tobacco has dropped, the rate of squamous cell cancer has dropped as well.
Fred Hutch experts offer comprehensive care for esophageal cancer, including advanced treatments and new options available only through clinical studies.
New patients are seen at our Esophageal Cancer Specialty Clinic or at the South Lake Union Clinic, based on the patient's individual needs.
Esophageal cancer can be difficult to detect early on because it may not cause noticeable symptoms until a tumor gets big enough to interfere with swallowing.
See your physician if you:
Difficulty swallowing may start with foods like meat, bread or raw vegetables, but as a tumor grows, even liquids may be painful to swallow.
Other early warning signs may result from a variety of medical issues. See your physician if you experience any of these other potential signs for a prolonged period:
Endoscopy, including endoscopic ultrasound, gives the best information about the structure of your esophagus. It shows complications of reflux, such as esophagitis (irritation of the esophagus), and tissues that may have cancer. For this test:
If you have a small, early-stage cancer that has not gone deeper than the lining of your esophagus, your physician may be able to remove all of it during your endoscopy (endoscopic mucosal resection).
Your doctor may ask you to have a complete blood count to check the level of each type of blood cell in your bloodstream. Low red blood cells (anemia) may be a sign of internal bleeding, which sometimes happens with esophageal cancer (as well as other conditions).
If your physician finds cancer or believes you may have cancer, you will likely have imaging tests to better understand your cancer and tell whether it has spread beyond your esophagus. These may include a computed tomography (CT) scan or positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
The treatment that your physicians recommend for esophageal cancer will be based in part on the stage of your cancer. The stage depends on:
There are different staging systems for adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Both systems use Roman numerals I, II, III and IV, with stage I being the least advanced and stage IV being the most advanced stage.
Physicians don’t know the precise causes of esophageal cancer, but studies have identified several risk factors.
Fred Hutch’s Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program offers a personalized approach to risk assessment, screening and prevention for people at high risk for esophageal cancer and other gastrointestinal cancers.
These factors may affect your risk for esophageal cancer:
When acid from the stomach repeatedly comes up into the esophagus — as it does in GERD — the acid may damage the cells of the esophageal lining. Over time this damage can cause the cells to mutate and become more like cells in the stomach and intestine, leading to a condition called Barrett’s esophagus.
In a small fraction of people, the mutated cells turn into cancer (esophageal adenocarcinoma).
Several options, including lifestyle changes, medication, radiofrequency ablation and surgery, are available to control reflux and to prevent or treat the problems that can develop as a result of reflux.
More about Barrett’s esophagus and treatment options for this condition at the UW Medicine Center for Esophageal & Gastric Surgery.
There are many resources online for learning about your disease. Health educators at the Fred Hutch Patient and Family Resource Center have compiled a list of trusted sources to help you get started.
Whether you are newly diagnosed, or going through treatment, or know someone with cancer, our staff are available to tailor personalized resources and answer questions about support options in the community.
Our list of online resources provides accurate health information from reliable and reputable sources, like the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).
American Cancer Society (ACS): Overview of Esophagus Cancer
If you have esophagus cancer or are a caregiver for someone who does, knowing what to expect can be helpful. Here you can find out all about esophagus cancer in adults, including risk factors, symptoms and how they are found and treated.
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO): Guide to Esophageal Cancer
This is Cancer.Net's Guide to esophageal cancer. Here you can learn more about esophageal cancer, treatment, the latest research and clinical trials.
ASCO Answers: Esophageal Cancer
ASCO Answers is a collection of oncologist-approved patient education materials developed by ASCO for people with cancer and their caregivers. Here you can find illustrations and information on esophageal cancer.
National Cancer Institute (NCI): Esophageal Cancer-Patient Version
The NCI is the federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training. Here you can find more information about esophageal cancer treatment, research and coping with cancer.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines for Patients: Esophageal Cancer
This step-by-step guide to the latest advances in cancer care features questions to ask your physician, patient-friendly illustrations and glossaries of terms and acronyms.