How Singer-Songwriter LeAnn Rimes, Who Manages Psoriasis, Is Coping With Acid Reflux— Understanding The Chronic Condition Linked To Heightened Risk of Esophageal Cancer

We’re delighted to see the musician continuing to share what helps her amid her health struggles, her struggle with acid reflux has also reminded us that this type of condition has been linked to esophageal cancer. Remember, when symptoms like acid reflux are frequent, make sure you see doctor who can diagnose the condition and prescribe medication.

In Rimes’ case, she’s crediting better food choices for helping her cope, and she wrote alongside a video shared on Instagram, featuring  her making a zucchini smoothie, “One would think, making a smoothie on a tour bus wouldn’t be this chaotic… but it is!

“As some of you know, I’ve recently been suffering with acid reflux, which has been causing some serious issues with my vocal chords.”

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She continued, “Along with guidance from my doctors and my new recipe friend, chat gpt, we’ve created a new gut friendly shake! Here’s the recipe: 1/2 zucchini, 1/2 pear, 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 avocado, 1 cup coconut milk (gum free), 1/2 cup coconut milk & 1/2 cup coconut water. 3/4 – 1 scoop unflavored protein powder, 1 scoop creatine, 1 scoop collagen, [and ] flavor with stevia or honey.”

RELATED: Singer Leann Rimes Says She Needed Procedure To Remove ‘Precancerous Cells’ In Her Cervix

LeAnn Rimes’ Journey to Managing Her Psoriasis

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, meaning the body’s immune system becomes overactive and attacks normal tissues. It causes red, itchy patches to develop on the skin. The most commonly affected areas are the lower back, elbows, knees, legs, soles of feet, scalp, face, and palms.

RELATED: If You Have Acid Reflux You’re Twice As Likely To Get Cancer of The Esophagus, Research Shows

Symptoms of psoriasis can be managed through various treatments.

Rimes was diagnosed with psoriasis at 2 years old and, when she turned 6 years old, about 80% of her body was covered in “painful red spots,” according to an article she wrote for Glamour Magazine.

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Dr. Saakshi Khattri, a dermatologist/rheumatologist at Mount Sinai Health System, tells SurvivorNet. “It is a chronic condition, which can ebb and flow. You can have good days and bad days.”

Dr. Saakshi notes that while anyone can develop psoriasis, the disease is more common in people between the ages of 30 and 50. Researchers believe genetics, as well as environmental factors, may play a role in the development of psoriasis.

WATCH: There is good news for people out there suffering from plaque psoriasis.

Rimes’ psoriasis journey includes the singer trying several different treatment options to clear up her psoriasis, including steroid creams.

Steroid creams or topicals are a common option to treat psoriasis. Topicals are often recommended for newly diagnosed psoriasis patients. These work by applying the cream on your affected skin to reduce inflammation.

The creams used can also be non-steroidal. Dr. George Han, a dermatologist at Northwell Health/Lenox Hill Hospital, adds that topical treatments are often a convenient option for patients.

“The majority of patients with psoriasis overall are managed with topicals only,” Dr. Han explains. “And I would say part of this is from convenience, and you could argue certainly patients with milder forms of psoriasis, it’s justifiable to just treat topically.”

Rimes also focused on her diet to reduce flare-ups. Healthline previously reported she “eliminated gluten and all fried food from her diet.”

Meanwhile, SurvivorNet experts say certain foods and drinks can trigger autoimmune conditions and cause inflammation.

Some examples of foods that cause inflammation include white bread and pastries, fried foods like French fries, sodas and other sugary drinks, red meat, processed meats, and margarine, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

These types of foods can cause insulin (a hormone that controls our blood sugar) to spike in our bodies, which can contribute to inflammation.

Conversely, examples of anti-inflammatory foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and fish.

Rimes also tried an “injection regimen” to manage her symptoms although she has not said what type of injections she uses. She resorted to some vitamin D from the sun to help manage her symptoms.

“Saltwater and sunshine mother nature’s gifts to us truly, truly help me. I’ve been in a place before many times and gone on vacation and come back and been completely clear,” she said to Prevention, a health news resource.

While saltwater can help with easing skin conditions, according to SurvivorNet experts, for some, the sun will exacerbate symptoms. However, phototherapy, or light therapy, is a treatment option for psoriasis. It’s generally used when topical medications are not working. Phototherapy exposes the skin to ultraviolet light to slow down the excess growth of skin cells.

“I use raw coconut oil which I love, I also love a little bit of any kind of carrier oil with a bit of essential oil in it,” Rimes said to help keep her skin moisturized.

Moisturizers can be very effective in treating dryness caused by the disease and promoting healing of the skin. SurvivorNet experts say the best moisturizer to buy will have the following characteristics:

• Heavy textures like oils, ointments, or creams
• Doesn’t include any fragrance to avoid irritation

Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Heightened Cancer Risk?

If you’re suffering from heartburn or acid reflux, it’s important to understand these may be symptoms of esophageal cancer or a precancerous condition known as Barrett’s, a change in the cellular structure of the esophagus lining that heightens a person’s risk of developing esophageal cancer.

Although doctors have not found a direct biological link between reflux and cancer; it is a risk factor.

Acid reflux, a burning sensation in the throat could be a risk factor for certain cancers of the larynx (throat) and esophagus, according to a recent study published in the journal Cancer.

“This study doesn’t suggest that if you have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) you need preventive screenings for laryngeal or esophageal cancer, but it does suggest that if you have GERD and develop symptoms of these cancers, such as hoarseness, a change in your voice, difficulty or pain swallowing, an unexplained ear ache, or breathing trouble, you should get it checked out because your GERD may be a risk factor for these types of cancers,” Dr. Theodoros Teknos, president and scientific director of UH Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, OH, who specializes in head and neck cancers, previously told SurvivorNet.

Here’s what the study found about the possible connection between reflux and certain cancers.

Researchers followed nearly 500,000 older adults ages 50 to 71 for about 15 years. Those who had acid reflux were up to two times more likely to develop certain cancers of the larynx and esophagus than people who didn’t have reflux. The study concluded that in the general population, about 17 percent of these cancers may be linked to reflux.

As for why this might be, when you have acid reflux, stomach acid can make its way up into your esophagus. When your saliva, which has a high nitrate content, meets with these acidic gastric juices, it may cause a chemical reaction that creates substances, including nitrous acid and nitrous oxide, which could raise risk for cancer formation, Dr. Maie St. John, Chair of Head and Neck Surgery and Co-Director of the Head and Neck Cancer Program at UCLA Health, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.

“We do not want anyone to read a study like this and just panic.” Dr. St. John added.

There’s a few important things to understand about this study. First, even among those who had reflux, cancer rates were not especially high. And, GERD didn’t cause cancer. It just seems to be a risk factor.

Another important fact is that the researchers had to infer that certain people in the database had reflux. Here’s what that means. The researchers didn’t have confirmation of an official diagnosis of GERD. Instead, they had insurance claims that were highly suggestive of the condition but not necessarily a confirmed diagnosis. So, the number of reflux cases could be over-counted or undercounted.

That said, according to Teknos, the presumed reflux cases in the database aligned well with prevalence of the condition in the population at large.

Dr. Brendon Stiles provides an overview of treatment options for esophageal cancer. 

This study doesn’t suggest that people who have reflux need any type of preventive screenings for esophageal and laryngeal cancers. It only suggests that it may be reasonable to add GERD to the list of known risk factors for these cancers.

And, for esophageal cancer, precancerous changes in the cells of the esophagus a condition called Barrett’s esophagus are also a risk factor.

“The take-home message is that if you have reflux, and it’s persistent, let your doctor know,” St. John says. “Continuous GERD symptoms may lead to dysplasia or other changes. Based on your symptoms, you might be recommended to see an otolaryngologist or a GI specialist.”

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.

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.

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.

RELATED: Finally Some Progress For Esophageal Cancer Patients New Immunotherapy Drugs Are Boosting Survival

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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