Men more likely to get esophageal cancer than 3 decades ago

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to new statistics from Cancer Research UK, researchers have found that esophageal cancer rates in men have increased by 50% since the early 1980s.

In the early 1980s, there were only about 2,700 cases of esophageal cancer in men in the UK, but in 2012, there were 5,740 new cases. Taking into account an increase in population size, researchers have determined that these new figures equate to a 50% increase in esophageal cancer cases in men. In women, there has been a 10% increase in new esophageal cancer cases each year compared with the 1980s.

The statistics also show that esophageal cancer has become the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the UK.

Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, Cancer Research UK esophageal cancer expert at the University of Cambridge in the UK, said, "These new statistics show a continuing rise in esophageal cancer rates – especially in men. This is especially concerning as oesophageal cancer can be notoriously hard to treat.