Finding, and Treating, Esophageal Cancer

Half a century ago, my grandmother died of esophageal cancer. For decades preceding her death, a bottle of milk of magnesia was her steady companion because she suffered daily from heartburn, now known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. But many years passed before a link was clearly established between chronic irritation of the esophagus by stomach acid and this usually fatal cancer.

Now that the role of acid reflux is well known in cancer risk and unpleasant conditions like chronic cough and hoarseness, drug companies market several products, prescription and over the counter, that are far better able to control the backup of stomach acid than milk of magnesia. And gastroenterologists now know to be on the alert for early signs of trouble among patients who suffer from GERD.

The cancer that results from chronic reflux is preceded by a benign condition called Barrett’s esophagus, a cellular abnormality of the esophageal lining that can become precancerous. If untreated, about 10 percent of patients with Barrett’s esophagus eventually develop esophageal cancer, the nation’s fastest-growing cancer. In the last four decades, the annual number of new cases has risen 300 to 500 percent.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 16,470 new cases of esophageal cancer will be diagnosed in this country this year and that more than 14,000 people will die from it.