Gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma is a rare type of cancer of the esophagus, the tube that connects your mouth and stomach. It starts in the gastroesophageal (GE) junction, the area where the esophagus and stomach join together. The cancer grows from cells that make mucus.
Esophageal cancer is four times more common in men than in women. Almost 17,000 cases of new esophageal cancer cases are diagnosed in the U.S. a year, and the condition causes over 15,500 deaths each year. It is most common in Caucasians, but the incidence rate in Blacks is almost as high as in whites.
Because GE junction cancer is similar to other cancers of the esophagus, your doctor will diagnose and treat it much like those.
Your doctor will first ask about your symptoms and medical history. Then they’ll give you a physical exam (endoscopy, Upper GI series, barium X-ray, Computed tomography (CT) scan, Positron emission tomography (PET) scan) to look for symptoms of GE junction cancer.
Although the cause of GE junction adenocarcinoma is unknown, one cause could be that the irritation in your esophagus is causing your healthy cells to turn into cancer.
Essentially, you may be more likely to get it if you:
Those with GE junction cancer may exhibit the following symptoms:
It is important to note that other conditions can also cause these symptoms. So if you have them, it doesn’t mean that you have cancer. You will need to see your doctor to find out what’s causing your trouble.
You have a few options to treat GE junction cancer. Which treatment you get will be based on:
Treatment options include:
Some GE junction cancers have a protein called HER2 on the surfaces of their cells that helps them grow. These are called HER2-positive cancers. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) treats them by targeting the HER2 protein. Another targeted drug, ramucirumab (Cyramza), works against a protein called VEGF, which tumors need to make new blood vessels.
If you have been diagnosed with GE junction, you should ask your doctor the following questions:
