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Esophageal cancer is cancer that occurs in the esophagus — a long hollow tube that runs from your throat to your stomach. Your esophagus carries food you swallow to your stomach to be digested.        
     
Esophageal cancer usually begins in the cells that line the inside of the esophagus. Esophageal cancer can occur anywhere along the esophagus, but in people in the United States, it occurs most often in the lower portion of the esophagus.         
     
Esophageal cancer isn't common in the United States. In other areas of the world, such as Asia and parts of Africa, esophageal cancer is much more common.          
     
Symptoms       
   
One of the difficulties of diagnosing this condition, is that there are very few early warning signs of esophagus cancer.
             
Symptoms can include such general discomforts as:

  • Reflux
  • Indigestion
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Pain on swallowing
  • Unusual or unexplained weight loss
  • Pain or soreness in the throat
  • Pain in the back, behind the breastbone or between the shoulder blades
  • A chronic unexplained cough
  • Hoarseness of voice
  • Vomiting
  • Coughing up blood
  • Tenderness along the length of the esophagus
  • A feeling of obstruction in the esophagus when eating
  • Discomfort eating unless food is either liquid or very soft
  • A burning sensation when eating spicy or hot foods

Esophageal Cancer