Smoking and cancer of the oesophagus

This chapter reviews studies on the link between smoking and cancer of the oesophagus. In 2002, it was estimated that there were 315,000 new cases of oesophageal cancer (OC) among men and 145,000 among women worldwide. The two major histologic types are squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus (SCCO) and adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus (ACO), which account for over 90% of OC. The vast majority of OC are SCCO. Over recent periods, however, a levelling off or decreases in SCCO incidence rates, and increases in ACO incidence rates have been observed in the United States, Canada, and several European countries, especially Northern European ones, and in a few other areas.