UNCONTROLLABLE RISK FACTORS
There are some factors linked to esophageal cancer that individuals have no control over. These risk factors include age, gender, and race.
Esophageal cancer is for the most part an affliction of older people. The risk of developing the disease increases as a person gets older, especially as a patient reaches the age of 70 years. The risk is only 1 in 100,000 for people below 40 years old.
It is also more prevalent in men than in women. Based on current incident rates, men are three times more likely to develop esophageal cancer than women are.
And in terms of race, esophageal cancer affects more than twice as many African-Americans than it does whites—for reasons still unknown.
CONTROLLABLE RISK FACTORS
Controllable risk factors of esophageal cancer include tobacco use and alcohol consumption. Diet and occupation also belong to the realof controllable risk factors of esophageal cancer.
The longer a person uses tobacco products, the greater that person’s risk of developing esophageal cancer. Tobacco products range from cigarettes to cigars to chewing tobacco. Both types of esophageal cancer are related to tobacco consumption. More than 50% cases of the squamous cell type of esophageal cancer are associated with smoking. And individuals who smoke at least a pack of cigarettes a day double their chances of developing the adenocarcinoma carcinoma of esophagus.
Alcohol consumption, particularly heavy drinking, is another risk factor, especially in the squamous cell type of the disease. Individuals who drink more than 13 ounces of alcohol a day for years increase their risk of developing esophageal cancer by as much as 18 times.
Long-term alcohol consumption is related to squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus. Alcohol use may not be as strong a risk factor as smoking. When the two are combined, however, alcohol consumption becomes a greater risk factor than when it is considered without tobacco use. For instance, the risk of developing esophageal cancer rises by 44 times for people who drink more than 13 ounces of alcohol a day while smoking one to two packs of cigarettes daily.
Diet is another risk factor that is within the control of individuals. In general, diets that are short on green leaf vegetables and fruits increase risk. Diets lacking in vitamins A and C and in riboflavin, in particular, may increase an individual’s risk of developing esophageal cancer. The likelihood of developing the adenocarcinoma of esophagus increases in cases of obesity, which could result from overeating.
Researchers also believe that the frequent drinking of very hot liquids may increase the risk of developing the disease.
Certain occupational exposures could make individuals susceptible to the esophageal cancer. People who work in dry cleaning firms, for instance, could be exposed to perchloroethylene, a solvent used in this industry. The fumes from perchloroethylene could put dry cleaning workers at an increased risk.
Then there is lye ingestion. Lye is a corrosive agent. Found in potent household and industrial cleaners such as those used to clean drains, lye can burn and kill cells lining the esophagus. A child who swallows lye by accident runs a high risk of developing esophageal cancer as an adult. On average, cancer occurs some 40 years after lye ingestion.
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Reviewed by:
Jiade J. Lu, M.D.
Diplomate, American Board of Radiology (Radiation Oncology)
Medical Director
The Cancer Information Network
Date Modified: 05/31/04
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