Untreated Heartburn May Raise Risk for Esophageal Cancer, Study Says
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Rates of esophageal cancer have surged due to a lack of awareness about what causes the disease and how it can be prevented, experts say. The esophagus is the muscular tube that carries food and liquid from the mouth to the stomach. There were six times as many cases of esophageal cancer in 2001 as there were in 1975, according to a team from the University of California, Los Angeles. The researchers noted that one key way people can reduce their risk for the disease is by managing heartburn and acid reflux, often called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.