Oesophageal Cancer: Tricky But By No Means Untreatable

Your oesophagus, also known as your gullet, is part of your digestive system. It’s the swallowing tube or pipe that carries food from the throat to the stomach.

When cancer affects this organ, it can cause symptoms like those listed here.

Ireland has approximately 450 new cases of Oesophageal Cancer annually — one of the highest rates in Europe.

Two main types account for over 95% of all Oesophageal Cancer:

• ACC (Adenocarcinoma) is when the cancer is located in the connective tissue layer just beneath the mucosa, called the submucosa. The majority of cancers in the lower oesophagus, closer to where it joins the stomach, are ACC.
• SCC (Squamous Cell Carcinoma) occurs when the cancer develops in the mucosa — the thin, flat cells lining the oesophagus. Nearly all cancers in the upper oesophagus, and most cancers in the middle, are SCC.

There are other, much rarer types of Oesophageal Cancer, that require different treatments from ACC and SCC, to be advised by your Consultant.

But all forms are becoming easier to treat, thanks to the ongoing research that we help to fund, and to the growing awareness of the importance of early detection that we help build.