Epidemiology and risk factors for esophageal cancer

Abstract

Esophageal cancer has a very dynamic global epidemiology. The rates of esophageal cancer can vary substantially between continents, within countries, and even within small areas of certain cities. The most recent data from 2012 lists esophageal cancer as the eighth most common cancer worldwide, with 455,784 new cases, and it is the sixth most common cause of death from a cancer with approximately 400,156 deaths annually [1]. This is depicted graphically in Fig. 1.1, with global age-standardized incidence rates of esophageal cancer among males and females shown in Figs. 1.2 and1.3, respectively. Predictive models estimate that by the year 2035 the number of new cases of esophageal cancer will almost double to 808,508 and the number who will die from the disease will reach 728,920 individuals in that year, making it an enormous cancer burden globally [1]. In fact, it is one of a handful of cancers for which the number of new cases is actually increasing [2], with average annual increase ranging from 3.5 % in Scotland to 8.1 % in Hawaii [3]. It is disappointing, given theincreases in rates of esophageal cancer and the continued poor prognosis for this cancer, that it receives very little attention relative to other cancers; however, therehas recently been a call for a greater research focus and funding for male dominated cancers like esophageal cancer [4]. There is an urgent need for cancer research organizations to provide increased and dedicated funding to gain a greater understandingof the dynamic epidemiology of esophageal cancer.