What causes esophageal cancer

No matter you are a man or a woman, an old man or a child, as long as you have cancer, the most important thing is to seek treatment as soon as possible, so that it will help control the disease. Esophageal cancer is a more difficult disease, and you must choose the method carefully when treating it. So, what causes esophageal cancer?

(1) Smoking: In some areas where esophageal cancer is most common, the smoking rate is quite high. In other areas, residents do not smoke, and esophageal cancer is rare. This is because cigarettes contain several types of nitrosamines, which have strong carcinogenic effects.

(2) Drinking. Surveys in Western Europe and North America have found that many patients have a history of heavy drinking or are mostly brewers and related employees. Among American esophageal cancer patients, the rate of whiskey drinkers is 25 times higher than that of the general population, and the rate of beer drinkers is 10 times higher. Alcohol itself does not cause cancer, but it may be a solvent for carcinogens, making it easier for carcinogens to enter the esophageal mucosa. At the same time, alcohol can also dehydrate the esophageal mucosa and cause damage to the esophageal mucosa, creating conditions for the occurrence of esophageal cancer.

(3) Bad eating habits and malnutrition Long-term consumption of overheated, hard, rough food and spicy food may cause damage to the esophageal mucosa. Repeated damage can cause mucosal hyperplasia and metaplasia, and finally lead to cancer. In a study on the carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines in the human body and the external environment, the Institute of Oncology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that the pickled cabbage consumed by residents of Lin County, a high-incidence area for esophageal cancer, contained a variety of nitrosamines, and proved that the amount of pickled cabbage consumed was proportional to the incidence of esophageal cancer. In addition, Shantou University Medical College reported that domestic water, fish sauce, shrimp paste, pickles, and dried radishes in Nan'ao County, a high-incidence area for esophageal cancer in Guangdong Province, all contained a variety of nitrosamines, and these foods were often contaminated with mold during the pickling process, and mold can significantly increase the content of nitrosamines in food. Moreover, the animal model of mold-induced esophageal cancer has confirmed the role of mold in the development of esophageal cancer.

The high incidence areas of esophageal cancer are generally in poor areas with poor land and nutrition. The diet lacks vitamins, especially vitamin C and vitamin B2, and lacks protein and essential amino acids. All of these can cause the esophageal mucosa to proliferate and metamorphose, further causing cancer. The lack of trace elements such as iron, molybdenum, and zinc is also related to the occurrence of esophageal cancer.

(4) Chronic inflammation of the esophageal mucosa stimulates some abnormal conditions and lesions of the esophagus, such as esophageal diverticula, scar stenosis, esophageal inflammation, achalasia, etc., which may eventually lead to malignant transformation and form esophageal cancer.

(5) Genetic susceptibility: After extensive investigation, scientists have found that esophageal cancer has a clear family clustering phenomenon.