The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation

The Lakeland Mirror, by: Austin Anderson. Sept. 25, 2014

On Sept. 15, Christopher Werner, assistant professor of instrumental music and director of bands [at Lakeland College in Wisconsin], returned from a four-month absence after a battle with early stage esophageal cancer.

Werner began feeling ill during the previous school year when he was unable to eat anything without feeling nauseous. He eventually made an appointment with his doctor.

X-rays were taken of his neck and the culprit was a large tumor lodged in his throat, blocking access to his stomach. The tumor was found malignant, and Werner had to undergo chemotherapy, radiation, and eventually surgery.

He was sent to St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee where he was prepped for a six-hour surgery. The procedure involved cutting out the portion of esophagus that held the tumor and extending a part of the stomach lining to connect it with the throat.

“It was a very severe surgery,” said Werner. Without part of his esophagus, Werner’s voice became hoarse. He was hooked up to a machine that fed him but he still lost weight from chemotherapy. Werner remained in the hospital for one week after the surgery.

“It was scary,” said Werner. “I went through rapid weight loss.”

When he returned to Lakeland, he explained his condition to the concert band at the beginning of class on Sept. 15.

During Werner’s absence, the band still practiced music to be prepared for Werner’s return. Senior instrumental music and performance major Matt Troyer, as well as others, gave the band tips for improvement.

“It is a big relief to see him back,” said Troyer. “I can’t stress enough how pleased I am with Lakeland and how they handled my absence,” said Werner. “They have been just fantastic.”

According to Werner, his battle is not over yet. The chemotherapy side effects will remain for another year. He might have to go back to the hospital for more chemotherapy, but he hopes to get his voice back in time.

At the moment, Lakeland has given him a microphone and speaker to amplify his soft voice.

“I am super excited to have Dr. Werner back and to get this semester started for band,” said Justine Watson, senior studio and graphic art major. “He is an inspiration to many of us.”

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This article has been posted with the permission of The Lakeland Mirror, the student newspaper of Lakeland College in Wisconsin.  “Werner conducts again during cancer battle” was written by:  Austin Anderson, Staff Reporter on September 25, 2014.  Anderson, a junior writing major and staff reporter at the newspaper, details the story of Christopher Werner’s, a professor and band director’s, battle with esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the United States and is also one of the deadliest.  Unfortunately, esophageal cancer is often detected late, as there are no routine or standard screenings.  However, when caught early, the chances of survival are much higher.  signs and symptoms of esophageal cancer.

Mr. Werner’s story highlights the importance of early detection.  It is our hope that it will also encourage others to be proactive about their health and provide inspiration to others fighting this cancer.  Thank you to Christopher, Austin and Leah Ulatowski, Editor-in-Chief of the Mirror, for allowing us to reproduce this story!

Visit The Lakeland Mirror’s website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!

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.

Taller individuals are less likely to develop esophageal cancer [adenocarinoma] and it’s precursor, Barrett’s esophagus, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the United States, with over a 600% increase in the past decades.  

Esophageal cancer is also one of the most deadly of cancers, with an overall 5 year survival rate of only 17.5%.  There are no standard or routine screenings to detect esophageal cancer in its earliest stages and symptoms often arise once the cancer has spread.  Esophageal cancer is often diagnosed in later stages reflecting on the fact that Stage IV esophageal cancer has a survival rate of only 3.8%.  With no known risk factors, research such as this is imperative to finding clues as to what causes this lethal disease.

“Individuals in the lowest quartile of height (under 5’7″ for men and 5’2″ for women) were roughly twice as likely as individuals in the highest quartile of height (taller than 6′ for men and 5’5″ for women) to have Barrett’s esophagus or esophageal cancer,” said Aaron P. Thrift, PhD, lead study author from the Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA.

“Interestingly, the relationship between height and esophageal cancer is opposite from many other cancers — including colorectal, prostate and breast — where greater height is associated with an increased risk.”

Researchers conducted a large pooled analysis using data from 14 population-based epidemiologic studies within the International Barrett’s and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Consortium (BEACON), including 1,000 cases of esophageal cancer and twice as many cases of Barrett’s esophagus, and twice as many controls.

The researchers conducted multiple analyses, including using Mendelian randomization (which incorporates genetic information with traditional approaches) to overcome issues of confounding and bias. The results from all analyses consistently demonstrated an inverse association between height and Barrett’s esophagus or esophageal cancer. There were no differences in these estimates based on sex, age, education, smoking, GERD symptoms or body mass index. Adjusting for abdominal obesity yielded similar results.

“The identification of risk factors, such as height, will allow us to create more sophisticated and accurate methods to quantify patient risk, which will hopefully be used in the future to decide who should undergo endoscopic screening for these conditions,” added Dr. Thrift.

The researchers report no obvious explanation for the association between short height and Barrett’s esophagus or esophageal cancer. Future studies investigating the potential causal mechanisms by which risk for Barrett’s esophagus or esophageal cancer might be influenced by height are justified.

Esophageal cancer incidence increased eight-fold in the U.S. from 1973 to 2008. Almost all cases arise from Barrett’s esophagus. Learn more about the management of Barrett’s esophagus in the American Gastroenterological Association medical position statement.

An alkaline diet, also known as an acid alkaline diet, resembles the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Consisting of mainly fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes, the alkaline diet typically only includes small amounts of meat and dairy products.

Our bodies digest, absorb and metalbolize the foods we eat and then release either an acid or an alkaline base into the bloodstream. A Western diet, which is high in processed foods and decreased amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, is more acid producing. Alkaline supporters believe that our diets should reflect a pH level that is alkaline and to maintain a diet which is low in acid-producing foods. Many believe that an alkaline diet can help to lose weight, increase energy levels and reduce the risk of disease and some cancers.¹

It is important to note that there is no specific evidence supporting the use of an alkaline diet or alkaline supplements in cancer.

Bill Henderson first described a diet which he proposed may have the ability to treat cancer in his book “Cancer-Free: Your Guide to Gentle Non-Toxic Healing.” This diet is known as “The Bill Henderson Protocol” (BHP). The BHP recommends restriction of some foods (acid-producing) and including some supplements which will “counter the excess acidity he believes to be a contributing factor in the development of cancer.” Again, we stress that there is little supporting evidence that shows the effectiveness of these diets to treat or prevent cancer.

Professor Justin Stebbing, an oncologist at Bupa Cromwell Hospital stated in an article from the DailyMail that “data indicates that a diet high in fruit and vegetables can improve outcomes for cancer patients going through treatment.” ²

A German study was conducted in 2009 which studied the alkalizing effects of certain supplements. This preliminary research showed that alkalizing supplementation could be useful “if bodily pH does in fact play a role in cancer.” ³
There is no question that an alkaline diet has the ability to greatly benefit health as it stresses the consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables and plant-based foods while discouraging the consumption of processed foods, dairy and meat.

An alkaline diet has also shown to benefit some acid reflux sufferers. RefluxMD suggests that alkaline water could help reduce symtoms of acid reflux disease. “Our hypothesis was that since water has the potential to reduce acid reflux symptoms by a dilution effect, alkaline water (pH 9) might provide an additional benefit to GERD sufferers due to its alkaline nature.” (Twitter: @RefluxMD)

This is especially important considering Gastroesophageal Reflux Diesase (GERD) which, if not properly treated, can lead to an increased risk of Barrett’s Esophagus and esophageal cancer. (Read more: How is heartburn linked to esophageal cancer?)

Before making any changes to your health, it is important to consult your doctor.  A nutritionist can also help guide you if you choose to go alkaline.  To get your conversation started, take a look at Alkalife’s “Ultimate Acid-Alkaline Food and Drink Chart.”  (Twitter: @Alkalife)

The answer is twelve.  A dozen medical research groups from across the United States have requested funding for their research projects specifically dedicated to esophageal cancer.

Research funding for esophageal cancer is crucial to saving lives and finding a cure.  Unfortunately, esophageal cancer research is extremely underfunded, both from private funders and the government.

The National Cancer Institute decreased funding for research of esophageal cancer by 15% in 2012. Esophageal cancer now receives a mere $28.0 million out of NCI’s total $5.07 billion budget. That is approximately half of one percent.

While The American Cancer Society reports that they currently fund 1,165 cancer research projects, only 8 of those research projects are related to esophageal cancer.

Diagnosis of esophageal cancer is skyrocketing, with over a 600% increase in the past decades, making esophageal adenocarcinoma the fastest growing cancer in the United States. In order to reduce these incidences of esophageal cancer, we aim to fund research projects whose emphasis is to prevent esophageal cancer and to discover innovative screening tests to detect esophageal cancer in its earliest stages, when the tumors are more treatable.

Esophageal cancer is also amongst the deadliest of cancers, with a five year survival rate of only 17.85%. In order to combat these dismal survival rates, we work to fund research that will improve current treatment options.

The survival rate for Stage IV esophageal cancer is only 3.8%. Unfortunately, at later stages, esophageal cancer can be treated but rarely cured.  Patients diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer often have widespread cancer at the time of diagnosis and cannot be cured with surgery.  Treatment options are usually to relieve symptoms caused by the cancer and to improve quality of life.

While the ultimate goal is to prevent 100% of any diagnosis of esophageal cancer through prevention and early detection, right now there is a drastic need to discover treatment options which have the potential of curing metastatic (advanced) esophageal cancer.

Our mission is to fund research projects to save lives and find a cure. One day, esophageal cancer will be history. Any donation will help make a difference. It is through small developments which generate knowledge that guides the way to significant advances and breakthroughs.

To make a 100% tax-deductible donation to life-saving esophageal cancer research projects, please click here.

If you would like to host a fundraiser benefiting esophageal cancer research, please contact us here.

We are excited to announce that we’ve received a legislative grant from the State of Rhode Island, which was obtained through the suggestion of Rhode Island Representative Patricia Serpa. The grant will allow the our charity to raise awareness, encourage early detection and to fund research of esophageal cancer.

The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation was founded on November 21, 2011, in memory of our President’s father, who passed away from esophageal cancer. In less than three years, 12 medical research facilities from across the United States have sought funding for their research of esophageal cancer.

President of The Salgi Foundation said “esophageal cancer research is extremely underfunded and does not receive the research money it deserves from the government or other charities.”

In fact, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) decreased its investment in research of esophageal cancer by 15% in 2012; esophageal cancer receives a mere $28.0 million out of NCI’s total $5.07 billion budget; that’s approximately half of one percent.

While The American Cancer Society currently funds 1,165 cancer research projects, only 8 of those funded projects are for esophageal cancer research.

Esophageal cancer diagnosis has increased over 600% in the past decades. “We feel this can be attributed to three things: a lack of public knowledge of the risk factors associated with esophageal cancer (such as chronic heartburn), absolutely no standard or routine screenings to detect esophageal cancer in its earliest stages, when it can be treated and this major lack of research funding.”

“The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is very close to issuing our own grant for esophageal research” but stresses the importance of support. “As a nonprofit, we rely on the generosity of the public and our community to support this mission and, most importantly, get these research facilities the funding they deserve.”

“We are very thankful to Representative Serpa for all of her support,” our President continued, “since the very beginning, she believed in this mission and in our abilities to fulfill these goals.” Representative Serpa has also worked with The Salgi Foundation to have April proclaimed Esophageal Cancer Awareness month in Rhode Island for the past three years.

For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit: salgi.org/donate 

Photo: RI Representatives.  Rhode Island Representative Patricia Serpa, second from left, welcomes guests from The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation to the House of Representatives on April 9, 2014 to witness the proclamation naming April ‘Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month’ in the State of Rhode Island.  Joining Rep. Serpa from left are President, Vice President and Secretary.