Esophageal Cancer Overview
The hard-drinking, chain-smoking lifestyle of mid-20th-century Hollywood took a huge toll — hundreds of noted actors eventually lost their lives to lung, throat or esophageal cancer. One of them was Humphrey Bogart, who died of esophageal cancer at age 57.
Less well known than lung cancer, but no less serious, esophageal cancer starts in the inner layer of the esophagus, the 10-inch long tube that connects your throat and stomach. The most common symptom, which usually occurs late in the disease, is difficulty swallowing and a sensation of food sticking in your throat or chest.
In Bogie's day, the outlook for people with esophageal cancer was poor. But survival rates have improved, in part because close monitoring of Barrett's esophagus — a serious, premalignant complication of acid reflux disease — can help detect cancer early, when it's more likely to respond to treatment. Even more important is that diet and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the chances of ever developing this type of cancer.
Esophageal Cancer Overview
