Esophageal and Cardia Cancers Summit: Report of the First Meeting

Cancers of the esophagus (squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma) are among the most deadly cancers with a five-year survival of less than 10%. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is decreasing rapidly in western countries and adenocarcinoma rising significantly. Gastric cancer (GC) epidemiology is changing as well, with distal GCs decreasing and proximal GCs, especially at the cardia region on the rise. ESCC claims about 335,000 lives worldwide each year with over 90% occurring in developing countries. It is the 6th most common fatal cancer in men and 9th in women with a male/female ratio of 1-3:1. There is a great variation in incidence between and within countries. Most of the hotspots are located along a presumptive belt starting from northern China, extending along the southern parts of the former Soviet Union, and ending in the Caspian littoral in northern Iran. Genetic and familial factors play their role in addition to environmental, nutritional, and habitual factors.