Not all esophageal cancers can be prevented, but the risk of developing this disease can be greatly reduced by avoiding certain risk factors.
Avoiding Tobacco and Alcohol
In the United States, the most important lifestyle risk factors for cancer of the esophagus are the use of tobacco and alcohol. Each of these factors alone increases the risk of esophageal cancer many times, and the risk is even greater if they are combined. Avoiding tobacco and alcohol is one of the best ways of limiting your risk of esophageal cancer.
Watching Your Diet and Body Weight
Eating a healthy diet and staying at a healthy weight are also important. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may help protect against esophageal cancer. Obesity has been linked with esophageal cancer, particularly the adenocarcinoma type, so staying at a healthy weight may also help limit the risk of this disease.
Getting Treated for Reflux or Barrett’s Esophagus
Treating people with reflux may help prevent Barret’s esophagus and esophageal cancer. Often, reflux is treated using drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as omeprazole (Prilosec®), lansoprazole (Prevaid®), or esomeprazole (Nexium®). Surgery might also be an option for treating reflux.
People at a higher risk for esophageal cancer, such as those with Barrett’s esophagus, are often watched closely by their doctors to look for sighs that the cells lining the esophagus have become more abnormal. If dysplasia (a pre-cancerous condition) is found, the doctor may recommend treatments to keep it from progressing to esophageal cancer.
For those who have Barrett’s esophagus, treatment with a dose of a PPI might lower the risk of developing cell changes (dysplasia) that can turn into cancer. If you have chronic heartburn (or reflux), tell your doctor. Treatment can often improve symptoms and might prevent future problems.
Some studies have found a lower risk of esophageal cancer in people with Barrett’s esophagus who take drugs called statins, which are used to treat high cholesterol. Examples include atovarstatin (Lipitor®) and rosuvastatit (Crestor®). While taking of of these drugs might help some patients lower esophageal cancer risk, doctors don’t advise taking them just to prevent cancer because they can have serious side effects.
Do We Know What Causes Cancer of the Esophagus?
We do not yet know exactly what causes most esophageal cancers. However, there are certain risk factors that make getting esophageal cancer more likely.
Scientists believe that some risk factors, such as the use of tobacco or alcohol, may cause esophageal cancer by damaging the DNA in cells that line the inside of the esophagus. Long-term irritation of the lining of the esophagus, as happens with reflux, Barrett’s esophagus, achalasia, Plummer-Vinson syndrome, or scarring from swallowing lye, may also lead to DNA damage.
DNA is the chemical in each of our cells that makes up our genes – the instructions for how our cells function. We usually look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. However, DNA affects more than how we look. Some genes control when cells grow, divide into new cells, and die. Genes that help cells grow, divide, and stay alive are called oncogenes. Genes that slow down cell division or make cells die at the right time are called tumor suppressor genes. Cancers can be caused by DNA changes that turn on oncogenes or turn off tumor suppressor genes.
The DNA of esophageal cancer cells often shows changes in many different genes. However, it’s not clear if there are specific gene changes that can be found in all (or most) esophageal cancers.
Some people inherit DNA changes (mutations) from their parents that increase their risk for developing certain cancers. But esophageal cancer does not seem to run in families, and inherited gene mutations are not thought to be a major cause of this disease.
Source: http://www.cancer.org/