Esophageal Cancer Diagnosis and Care for the Primary Care Provider

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D., [@chutkaMD] Guest: Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, M.D. Although esophageal cancer is not a common malignancy, when found it often has a poor prognosis. It’s about four times more likely to occur in a male than a female. Although a variety of malignancies can develop in the esophagus, most tend to be either squamous cell or adenocarcinoma. Fortunately, the rates of esophageal cancer have been decreasing slightly over the past decade. Despite the fact that esophageal cancer often produces symptoms, the survival rate has not been very good, although due to new and improved treatments it has been improving. The topic for today’s podcast is esophageal cancer and my guest is Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, M.D., the division chair for Hematology/Oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. We’ll discuss the risk factors for esophageal cancer, its common presenting symptoms, how to establish a diagnosis and the various treatment options available. Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.