Esophageal cancer, or esophagus cancer, begins in the inner layer of cells that line the esophagus, which is the long tube that connects the throat to the stomach. The esophagus moves swallowed food from the back of the throat to the stomach for digestion.
Esophageal cancer makes up 1% of all cancers diagnosed in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. The lifetime risk of developing esophageal cancer in men is about 1 in 132 and about 1 in 455 in women.