The esophagus is a hollow tube that carries food and liquids from your throat to your stomach. Early esophageal cancer usually does not cause symptoms. However, as the cancer grows, symptoms may include painful or difficult swallowing, weight loss and coughing up blood.
Risk factors for developing esophageal cancer include
- Smoking
- Heavy drinking
- Damage from acid reflux
Treatments include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and laser therapy. You might also need nutritional support, since the cancer or treatment may make it hard to swallow.
National Cancer Institute
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What You Need to Know about Cancer of the Esophagus
(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/esophagus
- Esophageal Cancer(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/esophageal-cancer/DS00500/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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What Is Cancer of the Esophagus?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_is_esophagus_cancer_12.asp?sitearea=cri
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.org/docroot/esp/content/esp_5_1x_que_es_12.asp?
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How Is Cancer of the Esophagus Diagnosed?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_3x_how_is_esophagus_cancer_diagnosed_12.asp?sitearea=cri
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.org/docroot/esp/content/esp_5_1x_deteccion_y_sintomas_12.asp?
- How Is Cancer of the Esophagus Staged?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_How_is_esophagus_cancer_staged_11.asp?sitearea=
- Understanding Esophageal Dilation(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=392
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Upper Endoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/upperendoscopy/
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Upper GI Series(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/uppergi/
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Esophageal Cancer (PDQ): Treatment(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/esophageal/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/tratamiento/esofago/patient/
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How Is Cancer of the Esophagus Treated?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_2_4x_treatment_for_esophagus_cancer_12.asp?sitearea=cri
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.org/docroot/esp/content/esp_5_1x_tratamiento_12.asp?
- Palliative Therapy(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_4x_palliative_therapy_12.asp?sitearea=cri
- Photodynamic Therapy(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_4x_photodynamic_therapy_12.asp?sitearea=cri
- Treatment of Cancer of the Esophagus by Stage(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_4x_treatment_of_esophagus_cancer_stage_12.asp?sitearea=cri
- Can Cancer of the Esophagus Be Found Early?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_3x_can_esophagus_cancer_be_found_early_12.asp?sitearea=cri
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Esophageal Cancer (PDQ): Prevention(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/esophageal/patient/
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Esophageal Cancer (PDQ): Screening(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/screening/esophageal/patient/
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What Are the Risk Factors for Cancer of the Esophagus?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_2x_what_are_the_risk_factors_for_esophagus_cancer_12.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.org/docroot/esp/content/esp_5_1x_prevencion_y_factores_de_riesgo_12.asp?
- Esophagus Cancer: What Happens After Treatment?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_5x_what_happens_after_treatment_12.asp?sitearea=cri
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Barrett's Esophagus(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/barretts/
- Make the Best Choice for Your Endoscopic Procedure(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=376
- What Should You Ask Your Doctor about Cancer of the Esophagus?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_5x_what_should_you_ask_your_doctor_about_esophagus_cancer_12.asp?sitearea=cri
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Esophageal Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Esophageal+Neoplasms%22
- What's New in Esophageal Cancer Research and Treatment?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_6x_whats_new_in_esophagus_cancer_research_and_treatment_12.asp?sitearea=cri
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Tumor staging of advanced esophageal cancer: combination of double-contrast esophagography... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18716105&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Expression of phosphatase of regenerating liver 1 and 3 mRNA... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18684031&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Polymeric immunoglobulin receptor-negative tumors represent a more aggressive type of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18684029&tool=MedlinePlus
- Esophageal Cancer -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=esophageal+neoplasms[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(systematic[sb]+OR+review[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+guideline[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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Dictionary of Cancer Terms(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary/
- American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: Find a Doctor(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/Apps/FindADoctor/search.aspx
- Find an Otolaryngologist (ENT)(American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery) - http://www.entnet.org//findanentmore.cfm
- American Cancer Society - http://www.cancer.org/
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National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.gov/
- What Are the Key Statistics about Cancer of the Esophagus?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_are_the_key_statistics_for_esophagus_cancer_12.asp?sitearea=cri
- Cancers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancers.html
- Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html
- Ear, Nose and Throat - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/earnoseandthroat.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Esophageal Cancer is the National Cancer Institute - http://www.nci.nih.gov/