Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal Cancer
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Introduction
The esophagus which is part of the gastrointestinal tract is usually about 10 inches long, masculine and hollow. It is the part that connects the throat to the stomach and the muscles that squeeze to push the food from the throat to the stomach. The esophagus can develop a cancerous cell which in most cases start on the walls of the organ and then spreads outwards, sometimes getting to the lymph nodes, blood vessels in the chest and other neighboring organs, such as the stomach, lungs and the liver. The cancer develops relative to various causative elements such as, the environment, culture, gender, genetics, age and the lifestyle among other factors. Some of the risks are modifiable while others are not and therefore differing interventions are required to treat or contain the disease (Cancerresearchuk.org, 2015).
Risk factors
There are quite a number of lifestyle causes that contribute to development of the esophagus cancer (AC) such as heavy alcohol drinking, smoking and taking diets that are low in fruits and vegetables. People that are obese or overweight also have a higher chance of developing adenocarcinoma, as they tend to have esophageal reflux. In terms of age, people at younger ages tend to have less chances of developing the cancer, while the chances increase with age. Only about 15% of patients have been found to have the cancer below the age of 55 (Cancerresearchuk.org, 2015). With reference to gender, men are more than three times more likely to develop the cancer compared to women. People that work or live in places where they are exposed to chemical fumes such as the ones that come from cleaning solvents among others. Genetically, persons that have a parent who has suffered from the AC, Barrett’s esophagus and Tylosis have a higher chance of developing AC (Rodriguez, 2009). It is also common among people that come from eastern Asia as well as south and east Africa, mainly due to the cultural diets taken in the place including prickly vegetables (Cancerresearchuk.org, 2015).
Modifiable and non-modifiable risks
Of all the risks that are listed above, lifestyle, environmental and cultural factors are among the factors that can be modified. However, age, gender and genetics cannot be changed. Aspects like lifestyle causes can be changed with an adjustment of habits that are likely to increase the chances of developing AC. One can also change their environment of stay or work based on the risk involved, to better their living and working conditions. At the same time, it is possible to drop some of the cultural practices such as eating prickly vegetables, hot maté and hot drinks among other practices. However it is not possible to modify factors that relate to age, gender and genetics as there are intrinsic to the cell structure and growth patterns.
Health promotion
Using preventive measures is one of the basic elements of good health living. As such patient can avoid developing AC by trying to modify the lifestyles, cultural practices and environments that increase their chances. For the pat...