The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation

The harmful effects of smoking are well known; one in five deaths is attributed to tobacco use every year and yet approximately 46.6 million adults in the United States continue to smoke cigarettes.  Countless studies have proven that tobacco use and smoking greatly increases the risk of cancer, including esophageal cancer.

Recent studies have shown that cigarette smoking is the leading factor which can lead to cancerous cells to develop within the esophagus. Smokeless tobacco and cigars also contribute to deadly esophageal cancer.  The frequency or amount of tobacco use does not reflect on the risk of developing esophageal cancer.  Any inhalation of cigarette smoke can increase a patient’s risk of cancerous cells to form in the esophagus.  Secondhand smoke exposure can also lead to serious injury, disease and death.

Prevention and early detection of esophageal cancer is crucial to preventing fatality. Cancerous cells begin developing in the inner layer within the esophagus and over time travel to other regions of the body.   Unfortunately, symptoms of esophageal cancer do not typically arise until the cancer has progressed to stage 5, which causes the cancer to be much more difficult if not impossible to treat.

Patients with Barret esophagus, heartburn or GERD are put at a much greater risk for esophageal cancer when they combine the use of cigarettes.  Abstaining from cigarette and all other tobacco products is fundamental in the prevention of esophageal cancer and other cancers.

Need help quitting? Read our post on 77 things to do instead of smoking

www.cdc.gov

The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

An important part of preventing cancer is to acknowledge risk factors associated with the disease. Studies have shown that those with the following risk factors can be more likely to develop esophageal cancer.  Having a risk factor or multiple risk factors does not mean that one will develop esophageal cancer. Also, those without any of risk factors have been diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

While Doctors are unable to explain why some with one or even many risk factors never develop esophageal cancer, risk factors are used to help prevent cancer and other diseases.

–       Age 65 or older

–       Males are more than three times as likely as women to develop esophageal cancer in the U.S.

–       Smoking

–       Heavy drinking

–       Diet low in fruits and vegetables, high in fat and cholesterol

–       Obesity

–       Acid reflux and GERD

–       Barrett esophagus

Everyone can help in the prevention of esophageal cancer and other diseases by doing their best to maintain a healthy weight, abstain from all tobacco use, consume alcohol in moderation and include healthy fruits and vegetables in their everyday diet.

Patients with acid reflux or GERD can manage the symptoms with lifestyle and nutrition changes and with the help of their doctor through anti-reflux medications.

Avoiding certain foods (GERD shopping list!), eating no earlier than four hours before bedtime, staying upright after meals and maintaining a healthy weight can help to suppress reflux symptoms.

If acid reflux is not managed properly, over time, reflux can damage the tissue of the esophagus and over time lead to “Barrett esophagus” which is when cells in the lower part of the esophagus are abnormal.

Barrett esophagus typically does not produce symptoms and its presence greatly increases the risk of “adenocarcinoma” of the esophagus. Smoking greatly increases esophageal cancer in those diagnosed with Barrett esophagus.

Patients can still develop adenocarcinoma with Barrett esophagus.   Adenocarcinoma is cancer of the lower esophagus near the stomach.  Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of esophageal cancer and has been steadily rising since the 1970s.

While early esophageal cancer might not produce noticeable symptoms, common symptoms as cancer growth becomes more progressive are:

–       Pain when swallowing

–       Pain the chest or back

–       Weight loss

–       Heartburn

–       Food which gets stuck in the esophagus

–       Food that travels back up from the stomach

–       A hoarse voice or a cough that does not pass within two weeks.

Those with any of the symptoms listed above should contact their doctor.

Source: National Cancer Institute: What you need to know about Cancer of the Esophagus

The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

A hiatal hernia, also known as a hiatus hernia, is condition which occurs when part of your stomach thrusts up into the opening of the diaphragm called the hiatus.   The diaphragm is a muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen and the esophagus passes on its way to connect with the stomach.

Hiatal hernias prevent the diaphragm from working with the lower esophageal sphincter to keep acids from the stomach rising up into the esophagus.

Most of the time, small hiatal hernias produces no symptoms and do not cause heartburn. However, larger hiatal hernias can cause heartburn to occur when food, drink and stomach acids travel into the esophagus.

Proper diagnosis of a hiatal hernia is made through an upper GI series, endoscopy or high resolution manometry.

Larger hiatal hernias can sometimes be relieved with medications or lifestyle changes such as avoiding large and heavy meals, avoiding lying down or bending over right after a meal, reducing weight and not smoking.

However, some larger hiatal hernias can require surgery.

If left untreated, hiatal hernias can produce great discomfort and lead to severe consequences such as GERD, Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal cancer and esophagitis (any inflammation, irritation, or swelling of the esophagus.)

Hiatal hernias are common, affecting 25% of people over the age of 50 and are more prevalent in women than in men.  As always, consult with your doctor about diagnosis of heartburn symptoms.

For more information, click here.

The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Preliminary research shows hope in the use of freeze-dried strawberries to help in the prevention of esophageal cancer.

The research study was led last year by Tong Chen, MD, PhD, researcher and assistant professor at the Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Results were presented to the American Association for Cancer Research and the study was funded by the California Strawberry Commission.

Chen said: “eating strawberries may be a way for people at high risk for esophageal cancer to protect themselves from the disease.”

The team of researchers and Chen launched a study where 36 men and women who had precancerous esophageal lesions were given freeze-dried strawberries.

This study followed the success of an animal study conducted which showed positive results in strawberries fighting esophageal cancer.

For six consecutive months, the study participants ate 60 grams of the freeze-dried strawberries. Out of 36 participants, 29 showed a significantly slower growth of the precancerous lesions of the esophagus.

Due to the fact that the study is “phase one” without a control group, Dr. Fritz Francois said: “it is therefore premature and in fact not possible to tell whether or not the observed effects were by chance alone and would have happened regardless of what the patients were given, such as sugar pills.” Dr. Francois is assistant professor of Medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center.

However, experts agree that the findings are extremely encouraging and insist for more further studies to determine if strawberries or other fruits and vegetables are suitable means for cancer prevention and treatment.

“This may be an attractive approach to chemoprevention drugs alone or in conjunction, since many of these medications have side effects or it may not be possible for the patient to take them in large enough doses to confer a benefit,” said Francois.

ABC Video: Strawberries may prevent esophageal cancer

The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

The esophagus is a digestive organ located in the chest.

Food moves from the mouth through the esophagus when a person swallows and the upper esophageal sphincter opens.

The upper esophageal sphincter is located where the throat and esophagus meet and only opens through eating food or vomiting.

The food then passes into the stomach through muscular contractions by the esophagus otherwise known as “peristalsis.”

Above where the esophagus and the stomach meet is another muscle band called the lower esophageal sphincter.

The lower esophageal sphincter is contracted so that food and stomach acid does not flow up from the stomach, through the esophagus and into the mouth (also known as acid reflux or GERD.)

The American Cancer Society reported that tobacco use is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths. This amounts to 443,000 early deaths each year.

The use of tobacco products increases risk for the following cancers: mouth, lips, nose, sinuses, larynx, throat, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, uterus, cervix, colon, ovary and acute myeloid leukemia.

If you are trying to quit smoking, (good for you!) next time you want to reach for another cigarette, consider these 77 things to do instead of smoking

1. Chew gum

2. Listen to music

3. Read a book

4. Look at pictures of your family

5. Grab a cup of coffee or tea

6. Go for a walk

7. Jump-rope

8. Donate to Salgi 🙂

9. Call a friend

10. Play with your dog

11. Donate blood

12. Go to the store

13. Breathe in and out slowly for a few minutes

14. Untie and tie your shoes

15. Look up smoking related deaths on the internet

16. Go shopping

17. Do a crossword puzzle

18. Sing your favorite song

19. Go to the gym

20. Make a grocery shopping list

21. Drink some water

22. Find new friends on Twitter

23. Check your email

24. Take a nap

25. Go for a ride

26. Peruse recipes on the internet

27. Do sit ups and push ups

28. Moisturize your hands

29. Look at a map and find a new travel destination

30. Watch television

31. Read sports headlines on ESPN

32. Give a family member a hug

33. Plant a tree or flower

34. Create a new music list on Pandora

35. Go to the gym

36. Clean your room

37. Cook your favorite meal

38. Write yourself a letter

39. Listen to the radio

40. Take a bath

41. Organize your desk

42. Give yourself a manicure

43. Brush your teeth

44. Catch up on old emails

45. Learn a new language!

46. Knit a blanket

47. Think your top 5 favorite people in your life

48. Wash your car or truck

49. Write a short story

50. Play with your hair

51. Find a pen-pal

52. Plan a date with your significant other

53. Read a magazine

54. Find a new blog that interests you to subscribe to

55. Update your LinkedIn profile or create one

56. Make iced tea or lemonade

57. Sign up for an exercise class

58. Eat a piece of candy

59. Tweet how many days you’ve been “smoke free”

60. Take pictures of nature

61. Go to the theatre

62. Eat your favorite ice cream!

63. Play solitaire

64. Give your dog a bath

65. Finish a book

66. Write your significant other a love letter

67. Go to lunch with a friend

68. Volunteer

69. Watch sports on TV

70. Clean out your phone contacts list

71. Buy new perfume

72. Floss your teeth

73. Jump up and down ten times

74. Work in your garden or yard

75. Eat a piece of fruit

76. Close your eyes and imagine you’re on an island

77. Play a board game with someone