Esophageal Cancer Causes
The esophagus is the tube that goes from our throat down to our stomach and acts as a passageway for the food that we eat. As with other parts of the body, the tissues of the esophagus are not completely safe from cancer, and there are several types of esophageal cancer. The principal types are squamous cell carcinoma, which often arises in the upper half of the esophagus, and adenocarcinoma, which typically arises in the lower half. This difference in location, also means that in many cases the risk factors can be different for each of the subtypes.
Importantly, note that the incidence rate of esophageal cancer varies considerably with location (geographical differences), showing that genetic factors, lifestyle, and ethnicity all play a role in its development.
The focus of this article is to describe the various risk factors associated with esophageal cancer, understanding a risk factor as a characteristic, condition, or behavior that increases the likelihood of getting a disease. Note that risk factors are merely correlational, meaning that they only show the degree to which a pair of variables are related. However, they are not necessarily causal, because correlation does not prove causation.
