Preventive Measures

Esophageal cancer can be treated successfully, but avoiding risk factors is the best medicine.

John Hopton used to eat pretty much anything he wanted, including greasy and spicy foods. But he paid for it with chronic heartburn, which he treated with over-the-counter remedies for nearly 20 years.

One day, however, Hopton found himself unable to swallow the Chinese food he was eating. When the problem persisted, Hopton went to see Mark Miller, M.D., a gastroenterologist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Garland. Dr. Miller diagnosed the problem as esophageal cancer.

Fortunately, Hopton's cancer had not spread beyond his esophagus. He was successfully treated with radiation, chemotherapy and surgery at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

Nearly 10 years later, Hopton, a 67-yearold retired mail handler for the U.S. Postal Service, remains cancer free. But he's among the lucky few.

According to Dr. Miller, an average of 14,000 cases of esophageal cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, a number that's increased sixfold in the past 30 years. And there are roughly 13,000 deaths related to the disease every year.

"If you can diagnose it in the early stages, when it's localized, you have a fighting chance," Dr. Miller says. "But usually by the time it becomes symptomatic, the cancer has already spread from the esophagus to the other organ systems."

Being aware of the symptoms-which can include difficulty swallowing, chronic heartburn or unexplained weight loss-is important. Anyone with those symptoms should see a doctor right away. But it's even more critical to know the risk factors for esophageal cancer.

Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and being overweight are major risk factors, as are chronic acid reflux disease and a diet high in animal fats and low in fruits and vegetables. "Avoiding these risk factors is the best thing people can do to help reduce their chance of developing esophageal cancer," Dr. Miller says. "It's a terrible disease that can be very difficult to treat successfully."

He adds that Baylor offers a complete spectrum of diagnostic and treatment options for esophageal cancer. This includes advanced technology such as endoscopic sonography, considered the gold standard for determining the spread of esophageal cancer.

"Early detection is what saved me, because the cancer hadn't migrated to the rest of my body," says Hopton, who now eats a healthy diet and walks two miles every day. "I was very fortunate to have the kind of care I did."

By Amy Lynn Smith

If you're experiencing the symptoms of heartburn, don't wait. Make an appointment with your physician today. For a referral to a physician on the medical staff at Baylor, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or find a physician online.