{"id":1886,"date":"2019-04-01T17:50:16","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T17:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/?p=1886"},"modified":"2022-09-16T16:32:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T16:32:12","slug":"april-is-esophageal-cancer-awareness-month-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/thoracic\/april-is-esophageal-cancer-awareness-month-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month: Here&#8217;s What You Need to Know About the Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The American Cancer Society estimated in 2019 that about <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17,650 new esophageal cancer cases will be diagnosed. In 2020 that rate has gone up to about 18,440 new <b>esophageal cancer cases<\/b> diagnosed (14,350 in men and 4,090 in women).<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cancer of the esophagus makes up 1% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States, but th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e rate of esophageal cancer continues to rise because of the increase in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month. Knowing the risks and symptoms of the disease can help someone get diagnosed and treated sooner.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>In this post, we share:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The risks and symptoms of esophageal cancer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ways to prepare for your doctor&rsquo;s appointment if you&rsquo;re diagnosed with the disease.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tips for coping with an esophageal cancer diagnosis<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What&rsquo;s Esophageal Cancer?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Esophageal cancer is cancer that strikes the esophagus&mdash;the long tube that runs from the throat to the stomach, also known as the food pipe. The organ aids digestion by moving food from your throat to your stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cause of esophageal cancer is unknown. We do know that it happens when esophagus cells develop mutations (errors) in their DNA, making the cells grow and divide abnormally. These cells form a tumor in the esophagus, and the cancer can spread to other places in the body. The disease affects more men than women.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the United States, adenocarcinoma is the most common form of esophageal cancer. It begins in the cells of mucus-secreting glands of the esophagus. Learn more about adenocarcinoma and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/thoracic\/conditions\/malignant-esophageal-disease\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the other types of esophageal cancer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What are the Symptoms of Esophageal Cancer?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the symptoms below can be caused by other conditions, please see your doctor if you experience any of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trouble swallowing or painful swallowing (solid foods first cause difficulty, followed by soft foods, then liquids)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Significant and unintended weight loss<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cough or hoarseness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heartburn and indigestion<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Burning in the chest or chest pain\/pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regurgitation (swallowed food comes back up)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What are the Risks for Esophageal Cancer?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The factors below cause irritation in the esophagus and increase cancer risk:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heavy alcohol use<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bile reflux<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Achalasia (difficulty swallowing due to an esophageal sphincter that won&rsquo;t relax)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Barrett&rsquo;s esophagus or precancerous changes in the esophagus cells<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plummer-Vinson syndrome (esophageal web)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drinking very hot liquids<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poor nutrition or a lack of trace minerals, especially selenium<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A diet with few vegetables and fruits<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obesity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Radiation treatment on the chest or upper abdomen<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cancer in another part of the body<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swallowing chemicals or lye<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Please visit our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/thoracic\/conditions\/malignant-esophageal-disease\/#layer-3-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Malignant Esophageal Disease<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">page for more information on esophageal cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Does Your Family Doctor Suspect Esophageal Cancer?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your primary care doctor thinks you have cancer of the esophagus, you may be evaluated by a team of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/thoracic\/meet-our-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">specialists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Your team could include gastroenterologists, oncologists, surgeons, and radiation oncologists. Below you will find tips for preparing for your first appointment.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>How to Prepare for Your Upcoming Appointment<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&rsquo;s important to be ready for your doctor&rsquo;s appointment, so you get the most out of it. Here are some ways to prepare for meeting with your doctor:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask if there&rsquo;s anything you need to do before your appointment, such as restricting your diet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep a log of your symptoms and bring it to your appointment. Include symptoms that seem irrelevant to your condition.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write down key personal information and include recent life changes and major stresses.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prepare a list of all your medications, vitamins, and supplements.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask a friend or family member to attend the appointment with you. In addition to supporting you, that person may remember something you missed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Prepare a list of questions to ask your doctor. You can ask the basic questions below, but don&rsquo;t hesitate to ask ones not on this list:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where is my esophageal cancer?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How advanced is it?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can you explain the pathology report to me?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do I need other tests?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are my options for treatment?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the side effects of each treatment option?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is there one treatment option you feel is the best?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If I were your friend or family member, what treatment would you recommend?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Should I see a specialist?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can you give me printed material that I can take home? What resources and websites do you recommend?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Should I plan for a follow-up visit?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Coping with Your Esophageal Cancer Diagnosis and Getting Support<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming and cause shock, fear, and sadness. It may take time to adjust. People cope and accept their diagnosis in different ways in their own time. Until you find what comforts you the most, consider trying to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn enough about esophageal cancer to make decisions about your care. Ask your doctor the questions listed above to understand the specifics of your cancer. Be sure to ask about its type and stage. Your doctor can refer you to the best sources of information. The National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society are good resources.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reach out to people who care about you. Your friends and family can be a support network for you during your cancer treatment. People may offer to help you with things such as making meals or driving you to an appointment. Think ahead to what you may like help with.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talking to someone about your diagnosis may help you cope. Is there a close friend or family member that you feel comfortable talking to? You could also confide in a counselor, religious leader, or medical social worker.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider joining a support group. Being with people who are going through a similar situation may provide strength and comfort. Your doctor, nurse or social worker can give you information about groups in your area. If in-person support groups are not your thing, you could try an online community available through the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">American Cancer Society<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The team at the Saint John&rsquo;s Cancer Institute is dedicated to providing the best care and treatment to individuals diagnosed with esophageal cancer. This post is an overview of the disease and its symptoms and risks. For additional information about our Division of Minimally Invasive Chest Surgery and Thoracic Surgical Oncology, please visit our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/thoracic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thoracic Center<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for more information.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Schedule an appointment today with one of our specialists to learn more.<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"btn btn--primary\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/contact-us\/?center=Minimally%20Invasive%20Chest%20Surgery%20and%20Thoracic%20Surgical%20Oncology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT<\/a><\/h4>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The American Cancer Society estimated in 2019 that about 17,650 new esophageal cancer cases will be diagnosed. In 2020 that&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":1888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-thoracic"],"acf":{"doc_author":"879","header_scripts":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}