Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Oct;20(4):42.
doi: 10.3892/ol.2020.11902. Epub 2020 Jul 24.

A multinational review: Oesophageal cancer in low to middle-income countries

Rodney Hull  1 , Mzwandile Mbele  1 , Tshepiso Makhafola  1 , Chindo Hicks  2 , Shao Ming Wang  3 , Rui Manuel Reis  4 , Ravi Mehrotra  5 , Zilungile Mkhize-Kwitshana  6 , Showket Hussain  7 , Gibson Kibiki  7 , David O Bates  8 , Zodwa Dlamini  1
Affiliations
Review

A multinational review: Oesophageal cancer in low to middle-income countries

Rodney Hull et al. Oncol Lett. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Oesophageal cancer (OC) is an aggressive neoplasm that manifests in the gastrointestinal tract and is the result of numerous factors that can contribute to the development of the disease. These may include old age, nutritional deficiencies, oesophageal obstruction and food ingestion difficulties. Environmental factors serve a large role in increasing the risk of developing OC. Two factors that serve an increasing risk of developing OC are the use of tobacco and the consumption of alcohol. Genetic factors also exhibit a large effect on the risk of developing OC, for example, the causative genes in Black Africans differ from other races. OC is 3-4 times more common among men than women. OC has been previously reported in >450 000 individuals worldwide, and its incidence is increasing. The current review compares OC in low to middle-income countries with developed countries. The incidence of OC, particularly squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is high in low and middle-income countries. In developed countries, the incidence of SCC is low compared with adenocarcinoma. The majority of OC cases are diagnosed in the late stages of the disease, leading to high mortality rates. The current review aimed to discuss factors that contribute to the development of this disease in different geographical areas and genetic mechanisms governing these findings. The current review also aims to discuss the preventative treatment options for the disease, and also discusses the diagnosis and surveillance in five LMICs, including South Africa, China, Tanzania, India and Brazil.

Keywords: Barrett's esophagus; Brazil; China; India; South Africa; Tanzania; adenocarcinoma; esophageal cancer; low to middle income countries; squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Alcohol and Tobacco consumption worldwide. (A) Alcohol consumption in liters of pure ethanol per person and (B) tobacco usage in percentage of adults smoking (28,29).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Oesophageal cancer incidence and income status of countries. (A) Countries divided into high, high middle, low middle and low income based on their GDP (145). (B) ASR per 100,000 for SCC. (C) Age-standardised incidence rate (ASR) per 100,000 for Adenocarcinoma (AC) (37,146). SCC, Squamous cell carcinoma; ASR, Age-standardised incidence rate.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Treatment of oesophageal cancer at different stages (130).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Henry MA, Lerco MM, Ribeiro PW, Rodrigues MA. Epidemiological features of esophageal cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma versus adenocarcinoma. Acta Cir Bras. 2014;29:389–393. doi: 10.1590/S0102-86502014000600007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cook MB, Chow WH, Devesa SS. Oesophageal cancer incidence in the United States by race, sex, and histologic type, 1977–2005. Br J Cancer. 2009;101:855–859. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6605246. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bosetti C, Levi F, Ferlay J, Garavello W, Lucchini F, Bertuccio P, Negri E, La Vecchia C. Trends in oesophageal cancer incidence and mortality in Europe. Int J Cancer. 2008;122:1118–1129. doi: 10.1002/ijc.23232. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Torre LA, Siegel RL, Ward EM, Jemal A. Global cancer incidence and mortality rates and trends-an update. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016;25:16–27. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-15-0578. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Das M, Saikia BJ, Sharma SK, Sekhon GS, Mahanta J, Phukan RK. p16 hypermethylation: A biomarker for increased esophageal cancer susceptibility in high incidence region of North East India. Tumour Biol. 2015;36:1627–1642. doi: 10.1007/s13277-014-2762-7. - DOI - PubMed