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. 2021 Oct 31;33(5):535-547.
doi: 10.21147/j.issn.1000-9604.2021.05.01.

Esophageal cancer: Epidemiology, risk factors and screening

Jiang Li  1   2 , Jianguo Xu  3 , Yadi Zheng  1 , Ya Gao  3 , Siyi He  1 , He Li  1 , Kaiyong Zou  1 , Ni Li  1   2 , Jinhui Tian  3   4 , Wanqing Chen  1   2 , Jie He  5
Affiliations

Esophageal cancer: Epidemiology, risk factors and screening

Jiang Li et al. Chin J Cancer Res. .

Abstract

More than 600,000 people are diagnosed with esophageal cancer (EC) every year globally, and the five-year survival rate of EC is less than 20%. Two common histological subtypes of EC, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), have great geographical variations in incidence rates. About half of the world's EC was diagnosed in China and a majority of which belong to ESCC. Globally, the overall incidence rate of EC is decreasing. In some high-risk Asian regions, such as China, the incidence rate of ESCC has generally declined, potentially due to economic growth and improvement of diet habits. In some European high-income countries and the United States, the decline is mainly attributed to the decrease in smoking and drinking. The risk factors of EC are not well understood, and the importance of environmental and genetic factors in the pathogenesis is also unclear. The incidence and mortality of advanced EC can be reduced through early diagnosis and screening. White light endoscopy is still the gold standard in the current screening technology. This article reviews the epidemiology, risk factors, and screening strategies of EC in recent years to help researchers determine the most effective management strategies to reduce the risk of EC.

Keywords: Esophageal cancer; epidemiology; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; risk factors; screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Global burden of esophageal cancer. Number of prevalence (A), incidence (B), and deaths (C), respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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