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 22,070 people living in the United States were diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2025 and about 16,250 died of the disease. The five-year relative survival rate for people with esophageal cancer is about 21.9%.
Smoking, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, and a condition known as Barrett 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, either 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 this type of cancer, including nivolumab (Opdivo), ipilimumab (Yervoy), pembrolizumab (Keytruda), and tislelizumab-jsgr (Tevimbra).
As immunotherapy’s role in the treatment of esophageal cancer continues to grow, so does an understanding of when in the treatment course to use it. Data from a phase II clinical trial published in the AACR journal Clinical Cancer Research showed that adding tislelizumab to standard-of-care chemotherapy and radiation shrunk unresectable tumors enough to be eligible for surgical resection, which also resulted in significantly improved survival outcomes. Learn more about this study and the impact of immunotherapy for treating esophageal cancer on the AACR’s official blog, Cancer Research Catalyst.
Screening for Esophageal Cancer
While there is no standard screening test for esophageal cancer, those who are high risk—such as individuals with Barrett esophagus—may be monitored more closely with regular screenings. Often, this involves an endoscopy, in which patients must fast for about eight hours, be put under sedation, and then have a tube with a camera inserted down their throat so doctors can examine the lining of the esophagus. But researchers are working on a less invasive option that can be described as a sponge on string. With this test, patients swallow a capsule attached to a string, the capsule dissolves in the stomach to release a small sponge, and then the clinician pulls it back up to collect millions of esophageal cells that can be analyzed for cancer. Learn more about this screening method being studied in Cancer Today, an AACR magazine for cancer patients, survivors, and their loved ones.
WHAT AACR IS DOING
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). Kija Luhuti, MD, MPH, works at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar-es-Saleem, Tanzania. He received a BIG Cat grant to study screening for this cancer with an approach that combines a swallowable cell collection device sponge with DNA methylation biomarker analysis. “The BIG CAT grant will advance my career toward an independent leadership in global cancer research, while generating essential preliminary data on community-based, minimally invasive esophageal squamous cell carcinoma screening in Tanzania,” Luhuti said. “This support will strengthen my skills, foster collaborations, and lay the foundation for scalable early detection strategies in high-burden settings.”
AACR also joined The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, the Lustgarten Foundation, Break Through Cancer, and The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation (Tina’s Wish) in launching a coalition to accelerate advances in early detection for high-risk cancers, including esophageal. Together, this partnership is providing $12 million in grants to six collaborative research projects. One of the projects is focused on digital pathology diagnostics for robust stratification of esophageal cancer risk. Learn more about the partnership on Cancer Research Catalyst.
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.
for more information
Please see our page on esophageal cancer, which includes detailed information on prevention, screening, and treatment.
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