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Esophageal cancer
The esophagus is a muscular tube that extends from the neck to the abdomen and connects
the mouth to the stomach. Cancer, or a malignant tumor, is the result of uncontrolled
growth of cells located in a particular region of the body. The lining of the esophagus is
the most common region for cancers of the esophagus to begin. Most of the length of the
esophageal is lined with squamous cells, which, if they degenerate into a malignant tumor,
give rise to squamous cell cancer. The very bottom portion of the esophagus and the region
where the esophagus and stomach join are lined with columnar cells that can give rise to
malignant tumors called adenocarcinomas. Other rare forms of esophageal cancer include
sarcoma and small cell cancer |
