Risk Factors

Cancer risk refers to a person’s risk of developing cancer. Any substance or condition that increases the risk of cancer is referred to as a risk factor.

There isn’t a known, single cause of esophageal cancer. Most cancers are the result of many risk factors. However, some people with esophageal cancer do not have any identifiable risk factors.  The Canadian Cancer Society provides a fairly comprehensive list of potential risk factors.

• Squamous Cell carcinoma: Some of the common major risk factors are smoking, alcohol abuse, and dietary factors, including obesity.

• Adenocarcinoma: One major factor is frequent exposure of the esophagus to stomach acid, or acid reflux.  Obesity is linked to this cancer as well.

Having a Hiatus Hernia will cause acid reflux, which may give rise to gastric-esophageal reflux disease or GERD. In time, GERD may develop into a condition called Barrett’s esophagus in which the cells lining the esophagus are structurally altered by long term exposure to stomach acid. Barrett’s esophagus itself does not affect the health of a person. However, in a small number of people there is a chance that these altered cells will develop into a pre-cancerous state and eventually into an invasive carcinoma.

• Other Types of Esophageal Cancer: these cancers are not observed in patients very often and are seen very rarely. Normally these rare types of disease might be caused due to the spreading of cancer from various other body parts like lungs, breasts in to the esophagus via lymph system or via blood stream.

Even though a multitude of risk factors and diseases affect the esophagus in various ways, the warning signs are similar. The symptoms are found to very similar in nature and the ways in which they get treated also are found to be similar (depending on stages). The progression of disease to happens in the same manner as they start from the outer most cell tissues and layers to the deep parts of the esophagus and from there to the surrounding organs and lymph nodes.

References:
1. Janssen, S.J., Solomon, G., Schettler, T. Chemical Contaminants and Human Disease: A Summary of Evidence (See also: http://database.healthandenvironment.org & http://www.healthandenvironment.org/tddb/disease/717).
2. Lynge, E. et al. Organic Solvents and Cancer. Cancer Causes and Control 1997;8:406-419.
3. Baker SR and Wilkinson CF, ed. The Effects of  Pesticides on Human Health.  Workshop Proceedings, Advances in Modern Environmental Toxicology XVIII.  May 9-11, 1998.  Princeton Science Publishing, Princeton