Esophageal Cancer

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Microscopic imaging of the cell pattern in a cancer cell

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Imaging of tissue at the cellular level using endocystoscopy

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Although all the causes of esophageal cancer aren't known, chronic irritation from gastroesophageal reflux disease, smoking, obesity and heavy alcohol use are leading risk factors for the disease. The risk of esophageal cancer also increases with age — most people are diagnosed between the ages of 55 and 70. Esophageal cancer affects far more men than women, and although it was once more common in African- Americans, the incidence among whites has increased nearly five fold in the last two decades.

In the past, the outlook for people with esophageal cancer was poor, but survival rates have improved in the last decade. This is due not only to new and better treatments but also to improved monitoring of Barrett's esophagus, a condition that can lead to esophageal cancer in some people. State-of-the art diagnostic tests routinely used at Mayo Clinic, such as endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopy with narrow band imaging, which uses the reflective properties of  light to create exceptionally clear images, enable doctors to detect cancer in the earliest, most curable stages. Mayo Clinic physicians also use laser confocal microscopy and endocytoscopy to accurately target treatments to cancerous tissue, even when the cancer can't be seen by other methods.

Read more about esophageal cancer at MayoClinic.com.