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The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates
for esophageal cancer in the United States are for 2009:
- 16,470 new esophageal cancer cases will be diagnosed
- 14,530 deaths
This disease is 3 to 4 times more common among men than among
women and is now as common in African Americans as it is in whites.
Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of cancer of the
esophagus among African Americans, while adenocarcinoma is more common
in whites. For all groups combined, the lifetime risk of esophageal
cancer in the United States is 1 in 200. Cancer of the esophagus is
much more common in some other countries. For example, esophageal
cancer rates in Iran, northern China, India, and southern Africa are 10
to 100 times higher than in the United States. The main type in these
countries is squamous cell carcinoma.
In Western countries, the rate of adenocarcinoma of the
esophagus in white men has been increasing at about 1% a year. The
esophageal cancer rate has been unchanged in white women. The rate of
esophageal cancer has been dropping in African American men and women
by 4 to 5% per year.
Although many people with esophageal cancer will go on to die
from this disease, treatment has improved and survival rates are
getting better. During the early 1960s, only 4% of all white patients
and 1% of all African-American patients survived at least 5 years after
diagnosis. Now, 18% of white patients and 11% of African-American
patients survive at least 5 years after diagnosis. These figures take
into account all patients with esophageal cancer, no matter what stage
they were in at diagnosis. Survival rates for early stage disease are
higher.
These survival rates are 5-year relative survival
rates. A 5-year survival rate refers to the percent of patients who
live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. People may live
longer than 5 years, but 5-year rates are used to produce a standard
way to discuss outlook for survival. This number includes people who
die of other causes. A relative survival rate compares the observed
survival with what would be expected for people without the cancer.
This helps to correct for the deaths caused by something besides cancer
and is a better way to see the effect that the cancer has on survival.
This is a more accurate way to describe the outlook for patients with a
particular type and stage of cancer.
Last Medical Review: 05/04/2009
Last Revised: 05/13/2009
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