Increased Risk of Esophageal Cancer Last updated: May 12, 2008

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  Increased Risk of Esophageal Cancer  
 

 
Signs, symptoms and indicators | Contributing risk factors | It can lead to... | Recommendations

 
 

 
 

Signs, symptoms & indicators of Increased Risk of Esophageal Cancer:
 
 
Symptoms - Gas-Int - General  Difficulty swallowing

Counter-indicators:
  No difficulty swallowing
 
 

Risk factors for Increased Risk of Esophageal Cancer:
 
 
Organ Health  Barrett's Esophagus
 For unknown reasons, the incidence of cancers arising in Barrett's esophagus (defined as the number of cancers per 100,000 people in the general population) is increasing more rapidly than that of any other cancer in the United States. Unfortunately, most of these cancers are not detected until they have become so large that they are incurable. However, cancers in Barrett's esophagus that are detected when they are early and of small size, have a cure rate that is improved dramatically.

If Barrett's esophagus is diagnosed, regular follow-up endoscopic biopsy evaluations are recommended for the early detection of changes that could lead to cancer. Surgery is the only therapy that has been proven to cure early adenocarcinoma arising in Barrett's esophagus. Therefore, if an early cancer is detected in endoscopic biopsies, surgery is generally recommended to remove the cancer and the premalignant Barrett's epithelium.

Supplements and Medications
Counter-indicators:
  Selenium supplementation
 
 

Increased Risk of Esophageal Cancer can lead to:
 
 
Risks  Cancer / Risk Reduction - General Measures
 
 

Recommendations for Increased Risk of Esophageal Cancer:
 
 
Botanical  Green / Oolong / BlackTea (Camellia sinensis)
 Regular and substantial consumption of green tea may provide protective effect against this type of cancer. Green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in women by 50%, and in non-smoking men and women by 60% [J Natl Cancer Inst Jun 1, 1994; 86(11): pp.855-8]. Risk decreased as tea consumption increased.

Diet
  Increased Fish Consumption
 Study subjects who ate two or more servings of fish weekly had a much lower risk for esophageal, stomach, colon, rectum, and pancreatic cancers than those who avoided fish. In fact, the rates of these types of cancer were 30 to 50 percent lower among fish eaters. High fish consumption was also associated with lower risks for cancers of the larynx (30 percent lower risk), endometrial cancer (20 percent lower risk), and ovarian cancer (30 percent lower risk).

  Vegetarian/Vegan Diet

Lab Tests/Rule-Outs
  Test AMAS (AntiMalignin Antibody Screen)
 
 


KEY
Weak or unproven link
Strong or generally accepted link
Weakly counter-indicative
Very strongly or absolutely counter-indicative
May do some good
Likely to help

Take a look at America over a century ago (1904):
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost only $11.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.





GLOSSARY

Biopsy:  Excision of tissue from a living being for diagnosis.

Cancer:  Refers to the various types of malignant neoplasms that contain cells growing out of control and invading adjacent tissues, which may metastasize to distant tissues.

Esophagus:  Commonly called the "food pipe", it is a narrow muscular tube, about nine and a half inches long, that begins below the tongue and ends at the stomach. It consists of an outer layer of fibrous tissue, a middle layer containing smoother muscle, and an inner membrane, which contains numerous tiny glands. It has muscular sphincters at both its upper and lower ends. The upper sphincter relaxes to allow passage of swallowed food that is then propelled down the esophagus into the stomach by the wave-like peristaltic contractions of the esophageal muscles. There is no protective mucosal layer, so problems can arise when digestive acids reflux into the esophagus from the stomach.