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Overview for Dietary and Lifestyle or Treatment info
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The oesophagus, or gullet (derived from the old French word 'goule',
meaning throat), extends from the back of the throat downwards to
enter the stomach. It is a muscular tube, as muscles are required
to promote movement of digested food in its progress to the stomach
It is usually 10-12 inches in length and is able to expand from a
resting width of ½ an inch to 1 inch when activated.
At the end of the tube, where it meets the stomach, a valve operates
to prevent regurgitation of food upwards. The nerve control of this
area is complicated and any derangement produced by a cancerous growth
is a serious matter.
The three main types of cancer encountered are:
- Squamous cell - formed from skin like cells in the upper two
thirds
- Adenocarainoma which arises in the lower oesophagus because of
long standing reflux. (known as Barret's Oesophagus)
- Kaposil's Sarcoma is seen in patients with AIDS. It is rarely
symptomatic.
The incidence of squamous cell type is 5-10 out of every 100 000
in the UK. Most common in the 60-70 year old age group.
Overview | Orthodox
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