gastrointestinal disorders
Esophageal Cancer
Introduction
The most common malignant tumor in the proximal two thirds of the esophagus is squamous cell carcinoma; adenocarcinoma is the most common in the distal one third. Symptoms are progressive Dysphagia and weight loss. Diagnosis is by endoscopy, followed by PET-CT and endoscopic ultrasound for staging. Treatment varies with stage and generally includes surgery with or without chemotherapy and radiation. Long-term survival is poor except for patients with local disease. Worldwide in 2018, esophageal cancer was the 7th most commonly diagnosed type of cancer and the 6th leading cause of cancer deaths with about 572,000 new cases and 508,000 deaths ( General references ). In the United States, esophageal cancer is much less commonly diagnosed. Esophageal cancer will account for an estimated 21,560 new cancer diagnoses and 16,120 cancer deaths in the United States in 2023 ( General references ). Theprimary risk factors for esophageal cancerare Alcohol ingestion Tobacco use (in any form) Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) (especially for adenocarcinoma) Obesity (especially for adenocarcinoma) Older age Male sex Barrett esophagus Genetic syndromes (eg, tylosis, familial Barrett esophagus, Bloom syndrome, Fanconi anemia) include Achalasia , 