The esophagus is the long tube that carries food from your mouth to the stomach to be digested. Cancer of the esophagus was the third most common cancer of the digestive system in 2004, ranking just behind colorectal and pancreatic cancer, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Esophageal cancer was responsible for 13,000 deaths that year. There are multiple types of cancer that can affect esophagus.
Adenocarcinoma
According to Merck Manuals, an online medical library, one of the most common types of esophageal cancer is adenocarcinoma. The Mayo Clinic reports that this type of esophageal cancer starts in the cells that secrete mucus, and most commonly first affects the lower part of the esophagus. This type of cancer may look like a lump in the esophagus, a plaque (a diffuse flat layer) in the esophagus, or a fistula (an abnormal connection) that links the esophagus to the tissue of the lung. Adenocarcinoma may also cause narrowing of the esophagus, due to the room that is taken up by the cancerous cells.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Merck Manuals reports that another common type of esophageal cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. According to the Mayo Clinic, squamous cells are cells thin, flat cells that line the surface of the esophagus. Merck Manuals adds that squamous cell carcinoma can form the same type of growths as adenocarcinoma: a lump, a plaque, or fistula. The Mayo Clinic reports that adenocarcinoma is the most common esophageal cancer in the United States, but squamous cell carcinoma is the most common worldwide.
Other Types
Other less common types of esophageal cancer include, according to the Mayo Clinic: lymphoma, melanoma, sarcoma, small cell cancer, and choriocarcinoma. These esophageal cancers differ by the type of cell in the esophagus that mutates and becomes cancerous. Merck Manuals also reports that another rare type of esophageal cancer is leiomyosarcomas, which is cancer of the muscle surrounding the esophagus. Cancer may be metastatic, meaning that the cancer originally began elsewhere, but spread to the esophagus.
