April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month

join with the aacr to find better ways to prevent and treat cancer of the esophagus

The esophagus is a long, muscular tube connecting the throat to the stomach. Esophageal cancer forms in the lining of the esophagus. The two most common forms of esophageal cancer are: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. 

According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 22,370 people living in the United States were diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2024 and about 16,130 died of the disease. The five-year relative survival rate for people with esophageal cancer is about 22%.

Smoking, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, and a condition known as Barrett’s esophagus can increase a person’s risk of developing esophageal cancer. This cancer is also more common in men than women.

Signs and symptoms of esophageal cancer include weight loss, painful or difficult swallowing, hoarseness in the throat, pain behind the breastbone, and a lump under the skin.

Immunotherapy for esophageal cancer

Treatment of esophageal cancer usually involves chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery, singly or in combination. In recent years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of medications that help the immune system fight cancer. This includes the approval of nivolumab (Opdivo) for the treatment of patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent, or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for PD-L1–positive squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

In March 2024, FDA also approved tislelizumab-jsgr (Tevimbra) for patients with surgically inoperable or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus that has progressed despite chemotherapy. This is the type of therapeutic known as an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). It enables the immune system to attack the cancer more effectively. Cancer Today magazine explains the background: Treatment Advances Help Fuel Survival Increases.

Data from a phase II clinical trial published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the AACR, also found that in patients with unresectable, locally advanced esophageal cancer, the combination of radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy made tumors more amenable to surgery, which also resulted in significantly improved survival outcomes.

WHAT THE AACR IS DOING

The AACR supports research in cancer of the esophagus, including work by young investigators in Africa. The program is called Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat). Alex Mremi, DDS, MMed, works at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshi, Tanzania. He received a BIG Cat grant to study screening for this cancer. Specifically, he is investigating whether a method called the Cytosponge, or “pill on a string,” would be an affordable alternative to endoscopy.

one woman’s story

Read how a “recovery mindset” is helping Laurie Betts of North Carolina deal with cancer of the esophagus. Her story is in Cancer Today, an AACR magazine for cancer patients, survivors, and their loved ones.

for more information

Please see our page on esophageal cancer, which includes detailed information on prevention, screening, and treatment.