Understanding Esophageal Cancer
- John Hatton, an active dad of two, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer at 54 years old after initially suspecting his occasional swallowing issues and persistent heartburn were due to the indigestion pills he’d been taking.
- Now, 56, with no signs of cancer, Hatton is urging others not to ignore symptoms and get see doctors when needed, even if it’s heartburn.
- Esophageal cancer is a disease that causes cancer cells to form in the tissues of the esophagus, a hollow, muscular tube that food and liquid move through.
- Several lifestyle factors, like smoking or heavy alcohol use, can increase a person’s risk of developing esophageal cancer. The disease can be tough to treat because it is often diagnosed late.
- It’s important to be aware of symptoms that may indicate esophageal cancer, such as pain/difficulty swallowing, weight loss, and pain behind the breastbone.
Speaking to Heartburn Cancer UK, Hatton recounted not having “any symptoms” other than the occasional “difficulty swallowing and a bit of pain, which he dubbed as “nothing alarming.”
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“You hear about breast cancer, lung cancer, but I had never heard of this.”
He continued, “I’ve always struggled a little bit with heartburn and indigestion. I’d been to doctors over the years and been given things like omeprazole [an antacid] . I took them for a while, it helped, and I’d move on. I put it down to drinking too much when I was younger, eating too much rich food.”
“One doctor told me he wished there weren’t things like Gaviscon [a heartburn relief medication] on the market. People pop them instead of going to the doctors.”
Now, Hatton, who no longer has any signs of cancer in his body, is warning others, “If you have persistent heartburn or trouble swallowing, don’t ignore it. I wish I’d known that long-term heartburn could lead to cancer.”
In a recent interview with BBC, Hatton further warned, “It doesn’t hurt to go to the general practitioner (GP). The GP is happy to see you if you’ve got indigestion regularly or for a considerable amount of time.
“Go and get yourself checked out.”
Hatton, underwent chemotherapy prior to surgery, which led him to lose one third of his stomach and three inches of his esophagus, in February 2024.
Now, 56, his most recent scan shows no signs of cancer and he’s determined to “live life and enjoy life.”
Esophageal Cancer Early Detection and First Steps
Understanding Esophageal Cancer
Esophageal cancer is a disease that causes cancer cells to form in the tissues of the esophagus, a hollow, muscular tube that food and liquid move through when traveling from the throat to the stomach. The wall of the esophagus is made of up several layers of tissue; cancer begins on the inside lining and spreads to the outer layers of the esophagus as it grows.
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Several lifestyle factors, like smoking or heavy alcohol use, can increase a person’s risk of developing esophageal cancer. Approximately 22,370 new cases of esophageal cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, according to American Cancer Society estimates, and it is more common among men.
“Esophageal cancer, we know is a tough one,” Dr. Brendon Stiles, a thoracic surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet. “It’s one of the cancers with some of the lowest cure rates out there, but like many cancers, if we find it early, we can often treat it effectively, either with surgery, with surgery and chemotherapy, with chemotherapy and radiation.”
Dr. Stiles recommends that patients report any symptoms that may indicate esophageal cancer to their doctors right away, since there are more treatment options when the cancer is caught early.
Further sharing his expertise on this disease with SurvivorNet, Dr. Stiles said, “We know that esophageal cancer is a tough one, it’s one of the cancers with one of the lowest cure rates out there.
“But like many cancers, if we find it early, we can often treat it effectively. Either with surgery, or surgery and chemotherapy surgery, chemotherapy and radiation sometimes. My message to patients is the same as it is for most cancers, try to get diagnosed early.”
Esophageal Cancer: Signs to Look Out For
But why is it often diagnosed so late? One reason could be that its symptoms — weight loss, difficulty swallowing and heartburn — often mimic that of other diseases, according to Dr. Stiles.
Things like heartburn are generally not cause for any serious concern, but it’s important to communicate any issues with your doctor. The more proactive you are about your health, the more likely you are to have an early diagnosis if something serious were to arise.
Esophageal cancer symptoms
Unfortunately, symptoms can be a bit vague, so those experiencing them may not think cancer right away. Still, it’s important to be aware of signs of this disease, which include:
- Pain/difficulty swallowing
- Weight loss
- Pain behind the breastbone
- Hoarseness/cough
- Indigestion/heartburn
- A lump under the skin
“Try to get diagnosed early,” Dr. Stiles said. “For esophageal cancer, that means getting screened, getting endoscopies if you have any symptoms. The problem with esophageal cancer is it can mimic a lot of other things. You lose a little weight, have a little trouble swallowing, have a little heartburn, those are tough symptoms to pin down sometimes and often leads to patients with esophageal cancer presenting with later disease.”
Dr. Sofya Pintova, who practices hematology and oncology at Mount Sinai Cancer Center, also stressed the importance of getting checked up when these symptoms, which may not immediately indicate cancer, arise.
“Symptoms include things like … they’re losing weight, they’re having some burning in their esophagus or their chest, they’re having trouble or pain with swallowing and that will often lead to a medical evaluation,” Dr. Pintova explained.
Dr. Sofya Pintova explains how esophageal cancer is diagnosed.
“It includes an endoscopy, which is when a gastroenterologist puts a camera down the esophagus in the stomach and if they see an area that is suspicious for a mass, or if they see a mass, they may biopsy it. And if the biopsy confirms cancer, the next stage is usually staging,” she added.
Diagnosing esophageal cancer
Several tests may be used when diagnosing a patient with esophageal cancer. These include:
- Physical exam/health history – An exam of the body to check for general signs of health as well as signs that may indicate disease
- Chest X-ray – An X-ray of the organs and bones in the chest
- Upper endoscopy – A test that allows doctors to examine the walls of the esophagus using a small camera that is attached to a thin tube and passed down the patient’s throat
Other tests may be used as well to help get an accurate diagnosis. The upper endoscopy is particularly important because it helps your doctor to clearly see if there are any abnormalities in the wall of your esophagus.
Dr. Whit Burrows, a thoracic surgeon with the University of Maryland Medical System, explains what happens during an endoscopy.
Usually if a suspected esophageal cancer is found during an imaging test or an endoscopy, it will be biopsied, which means your doctor will remove a small piece of tissue using a cutting instrument that is passed though the scope. That will then be tested.
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Staging esophageal cancer
The two most common types of esophageal cancer are:
- Squamous cell carcinoma (which forms in the thin, flat cells lining the inside of the esophagus)
- Adenocarcinoma (cancer begins in the glandular cells, or the cells in the lining of the esophagus that produce and release fluids like mucus)
After you receive an esophageal cancer diagnosis, your doctor will need to determine the type, as well as the stage. Both types of esophageal cancer are broken up into five stages (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4).
“Once you do get diagnosed, ask what’s the stage,” Dr. Stiles said. “Patients should never be afraid to push doctors and say, ‘What is my stage? What are the treatment options at my stage? Do I have less invasive treatment options? Do I need multi-modality therapy?’ That means therapy with more than just surgery or more than just radiation with chemotherapy.”
Dr. Stiles stressed that patients with esophageal cancer must be advocates for their own disease and speak up about treatment concerns, and what other treatment options or routes may be available in their situation.
Getting a diagnosis of metastatic esophageal cancer means that the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body.
Esophageal Cancer Surgery: What to Expect
“This is the esophageal cancer that started in the esophagus and spread to other organs,” Dr. Pintova said. “In general, that type of stage is not curable but it is treatable.
“The goal of treatment is to help people live longer and better, of course balancing that very carefully with the potential side effects of the treatment,” she added.
In this stage, Dr. Pintova explained that a “systemic” treatment is often given which may include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, or combination approaches.
“An oncologist has to analyze the cancer in a lot of detail. It’s no longer enough to know that it’s esophageal cancer. We really get into the nitty gritty in understanding the different proteins the cancer expresses, the genetics in the cancer itself, and then choose the best type of treatment,” she said.
The Importance of a Good Support System Amid Esophageal Cancer
Getting the news that you have cancer, especially a disease that is known for being difficult to treat like esophageal cancer, can be a very traumatic experience. When it comes to treating cancer, making sure the patient feels healthy mentally is part of the process as well and that may look different from patient to patient.
Esophageal cancer is more commonly diagnosed in men, who stereotypically have a more difficult time asking for help when they are struggling mentally.
“The esophageal cancer population is a unique population,” Dr. Raja Flores, a thoracic surgeon with Mount Sinai Health System, told SurvivorNet.
“Many of the people who develop esophageal cancer are men who are taking care of their families, who are proud, who are strong, who are self-reliant. So when they get faced with this diagnosis and this real vulnerability, they get depressed in a way that can make them crawl up in bed and not want to get out and that’s when the family comes into play.”
WATCH: Esophageal Cancer: Getting Emotional Support
Dr. Flores stressed the importance of having a good support system in place. Having close friends or family members there to rally for you when you feel the lowest can make a huge difference in how a patient handles treatment.
He also stressed the importance of having a solid doctor-patient relationship. Patients should feel comfortable bringing their concerns about their disease and treatment to their doctors, and that includes struggles they may be going through mentally.
“There’s a lot more connected with this disease than just your body getting harmed,” there’s your soul, your emotions. There’s a lot that goes with it,” Dr. Flores said.
“I think it’s very important to understand that about your patients so you can treat them appropriately. Once they know you see them and where they’re coming from, that’s when you get the, ‘Doc, I’ll do whatever you say, whatever you tell me.’ That’s when you can really get them to the best treatment that they need.”
There are also plenty of resources available for people living with cancer who feel like they’re struggling mentally, from traditional therapy to support groups to integrative medicine that may include treatment approaches like acupuncture or meditation. Check out SurvivorNet’s resources on mental health for cancer survivors.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- Will I need surgery for my esophageal cancer?
- Will I need to undergo chemotherapy and/or radiation before surgery?
- What type of side effects can each of these therapies cause?
- What is likely to be the most effective treatment combination for me?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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