Tumours of the Esophagus Tumours found along the esophagus may be benign (harmless) or malignant (cancerous) and can cause extreme levels of discomfort. The first symptoms include difficulty in swallowing food, particularly food that is solid. This is due to the fact that the esophagus narrows as the tumour grows and it becomes more difficult for the food to pass down into the stomach. Tumours are more common in men than women, and are more common in some parts of the world than in others. There is some evidence that tumours are found in people who have high levels of alcohol consumption or smoking excessive numbers of cigarettes. This seems indicates that smoking and alcohol cause cancer when inhaled or consumed in large amounts, although this has yet to be proven. The tumour can be removed by surgically cutting out the lump or radiation therapy, with both forms of treatment having a reasonable success rate.

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