Let's make every day "Esophageal Cancer Awareness DAY!"

LorettaMarshall
LorettaMarshall Member Posts: 662 Member
edited May 2016 in Esophageal Cancer #1

 Hello to all our Esophageal Cancer patients & caregivers

 The word is getting around.  Earlier I reminded everyone that APRIL IS ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.  See:  http://csn.cancer.org/node/301537

 Now there is a write-up about the Proclamation that our Governor of Virginia issued recognizing April as Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month.  I hope that each one of you will remember when the next year rolls around, to remember to write your Governor early in March and ask that the month of April be recognized in your state.  Just call the governor’s office, and ask how you go about seeing that we are remembered in the month of April. 

 This article came out in our local newspaper yesterday.  It tells about our local support group.  There’s also a picture of my husband William aka “Billy” there.  http://pilotonline.com/sponsored/sponsored-content/article_db8be93c-bf8f-11e5-8855-131c559b3787.html?prx_t=Nx0CAN6AGACRUNA

Virginia Governor McAuliffe recognizes Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month

By Sentara Cancer Network - May 05, 2016

So take a look at the article if you wish, and see my husband as he looks today in his 14th year of remission with no recurrence.  Thank the Lord.  So spread the word.  If you have a friend that is taking omeprazole on a daily basis to combat acid reflux or heartburn, encourage them to have an Endoscopy.  It could well be a pre-cursor to Esophageal Cancer, or it may well be cancer.  Actually, it’s been reported that NEXIUM can actually masks the symptoms of EC.  And indeed, many here over the years, were being treated with some kind of PPI (Proton Pump Inhibitor) but when conditions worsened, they finally went to the doctor, and found that they actually had Esophageal Cancer.  We could well think of EC as a “stealth cancer!”  It strikes suddenly often, and no one even had a clue.  It is rare, and considered the fastest growing cancer today.  One day they were “fit as a fiddle”, and the next day, found themselves in their doctor’s office being told, “You have Esophageal Cancer.”  So keep a lookout for friends you can help.  We hear so much about Breast Cancer.  I want to see the day that Esophageal Cancer gets as much attention. 

According to http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer/statistics for Breast Cancer...

“Breast Cancer – Statistics - Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 02/2016

ON THIS PAGE: You will find information about how many people are diagnosed with this type of cancer each year. You will also learn some general information on surviving the disease. Remember, survival rates depend on many factors. To see other pages, use the menu on the side of your screen.

More women are diagnosed with breast cancer than any other cancer. This year, an estimated 246, 660 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 61,000 women will be diagnosed with in situ breast cancer. An estimated 2,600 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

 It is estimated that 40,890 people (40,450 women and 440 men) will die from breast cancer this year.

The 5-year survival rate tells you what percent of people live at least 5 years after the cancer is found. Percent means how many out of 100. The average 5-year survival rate for people with breast cancer is 89%. The 10-year rate is 83%, and the 15-year rate is 78%.

If the cancer is located only in the breast, the 5-year relative survival rate of people with breast cancer is 99%. Sixty-one percent (61%) of cases are diagnosed at this stage. If the cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is 85%. If the cancer has spread to a distant part of the body, the 5-year survival rate is 26%...”

By contrast, far fewer men and women are diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer, with far less favorable survival rates, sad to say.  The Esophageal cancer survival stats are listed below.  There needs to be much more awareness of Esophageal Cancer.  We see “warnings” on most everything we purchase nowadays.  Interestingly, why can’t the makers of Nexium, for instance, state on their packages that “heartburn can cause cancer?”  They do state it isn’t supposed to be used on a long-term basis.

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/esophageal-cancer/statistics

“Esophageal Cancer - Statistics - Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 10/2015

ON THIS PAGE: You will find information about how many people are diagnosed with this type of cancer each year.  You will also learn some general information on surviving the disease. Remember, survival rates depend on several factors. To see other pages, use the menu on the side of your screen.

This year, an estimated 16,910 adults (13,460 men and 3,450 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

It is estimated that 15,690 deaths (12,720 men and 2,970 women) from this disease will occur this year. Esophageal cancer is the seventh most common cause of cancer death among men.

The 5-year survival rate tells you what percent of people live at least 5 years after the cancer is found. Percent means how many out of 100. The 5-year survival rate for people with esophageal cancer is 18%. 

However, survival rates depend on several factors, including the stage of the cancer when it is first diagnosed. The 5-year survival rate of people with cancer located only in the esophagus is 40%. The 5-year survival rate for those with disease that has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes is 22%. If it has spread to distant parts of the body, the survival rate is 4%.

It is important to remember that statistics on how many people survive this type of cancer are an estimate. The estimate comes from data based on thousands of people with this cancer in the United States each year. So, your own risk may be different. Doctors cannot say for sure how long anyone will live with esophageal cancer. Also, experts measure the survival statistics every 5 years. This means that the estimate may not show the results of better diagnosis or treatment available for less than 5 years. Learn more about understanding statistics.

Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2016."

See also:  http://www.cancer.gov/types/esophageal/patient/esophageal-treatment-pdq

As you can see, we all have a lot more work to do to “spread the word” about Esophageal Cancer! 

Loretta~celebrating life every day~wife of William, diagnosed Adenocarcinoma at the GE junction (EC Stage III - T3N1M0) Nov. 2002, Ivor Lewis Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (MIE) on May 17, 2003, by Dr. James D. Luketich at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).    

  

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