Hard To Swallow?
Its main function is to carry food and liquid from your mouth into the stomach. At the top and bottom of the oesophagus are the upper and lower oesophageal sphincter muscles that stop food and liquid from refluxing up from the stomach into the oesophagus (thereby causing heartburn/indigestion) or into the throat. OESOPHAGEAL CANCER Oesophageal cancer (OC) is associated with a poor prognosis. Globally, OC remains a major cause of cancer mortality and disease burden. It is the 8th most common cancer and the 6th leading cause of cancer death worldwide. About half a million new oesophageal cancer cases occur annually and 75% of these are in Asia. OC accounts for an estimated one in every 20 cancer-related deaths (GLOBOCAN). Men are three times more likely to get OC than women, and OC tends to occur after the age of 50. According to the Singapore Cancer Registry, it is the 10th most frequent cause of cancer death in men in Singapore.