食管癌的发病率在不同国家及地区变化很大。中国中部林县报道食管癌年发病率为140/100000。相较于西方国家,平均发病率仅为3/100000。2009年中国报道食管癌的年发病率首次降低,主要为鳞状细胞癌。在西方国家,俄罗斯、苏格兰及斯堪的纳维亚半岛国家为高发病率国家。总之,食管癌在西方国家的发病率相较于其他恶性疾病增长的快的多。[1]Demeester SR. Epidemiology and biology of esophageal cancer. Gastrointest Cancer Res. 2009;3(2 suppl 1):S2-S5.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684731/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19461918?tool=bestpractice.com在美国,正在显著增长的食管腺癌的发病率已经超越了所有社会生态学边界。据估算,2014年美国有18170例新增食管癌病例及15450例食管癌死亡病例。[2]American Cancer Society. Cancer facts & figures. 2014. http://www.cancer.org/ (last accessed 24 October 2016).http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsstatistics/cancerfactsfigures2014/即便是在美国国内,也存在发病率的地域差异。尽管导致这种差异的原因不明,但我们可以猜测或许是遗传倾向导致或暴露于特有的环境毒素。在美国,发病率及死亡率最高的两个区域是查尔斯顿和巴尔的摩,及他们周边的县。世界范围内,据估算2005年新发497700例食管癌,416500例死于食管癌,到2025年,患病率将会增长约140%。[1]Demeester SR. Epidemiology and biology of esophageal cancer. Gastrointest Cancer Res. 2009;3(2 suppl 1):S2-S5.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684731/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19461918?tool=bestpractice.com
在一些少数人群中,这些数字有显著的差异,如黑人同远东人(特别是日本人及中国南方广东省人)特别明显。[3]Jiao X, Krasna MJ. Clinical significance of micrometastasis in lung and esophageal cancer: a new paradigm in thoracic oncology. Ann Thorac Surg. 2002;74:278-284.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12118789?tool=bestpractice.com还有,男性相较女性更易患食管癌。[2]American Cancer Society. Cancer facts & figures. 2014. http://www.cancer.org/ (last accessed 24 October 2016).http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsstatistics/cancerfactsfigures2014/[4]Lagergren J. Etiology and risk factors for oesophageal adenocarcinoma: possibilities for chemoprophylaxis? Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2006;20:803-812.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16997162?tool=bestpractice.com
近几十年来,2类主要的组织学分型(鳞癌和腺癌)的流行病学已经发生了显著改变。[5]Botterweck AA, Schouten LJ, Volovics A, et al. Trends in incidence of adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus and gastric cardia in ten European countries. Int J Epidemiol. 2000;29:645-654.https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/29/4/645/765541/Trends-in-incidence-of-adenocarcinoma-of-thehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10922340?tool=bestpractice.com在二十世纪六十年代,90%的食管肿瘤为鳞癌。自此,食管腺癌的发病率显著升高,以致于目前从整体上讲,在美国和西欧腺癌比鳞癌更为常见。[1]Demeester SR. Epidemiology and biology of esophageal cancer. Gastrointest Cancer Res. 2009;3(2 suppl 1):S2-S5.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684731/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19461918?tool=bestpractice.com[6]Holmes RS, Vaughan TL. Epidemiology and pathogenesis of esophageal cancer. Semin Radiat Oncol. 2007;17:2-9.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17185192?tool=bestpractice.com绝大多数食管腺癌发病率的增加归因于患有巴雷特食管而在其他方面健康的年轻男性(特别是在美国和西欧地区的白人)中发病率的升高。[1]Demeester SR. Epidemiology and biology of esophageal cancer. Gastrointest Cancer Res. 2009;3(2 suppl 1):S2-S5.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684731/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19461918?tool=bestpractice.com[7]Brown LM, Devesa SS, Chow WH. Incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus among white Americans by sex, stage, and age. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2008;100:1184-1187.https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/100/16/1184/913212/Incidence-of-Adenocarcinoma-of-the-Esophagus-Amonghttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18695138?tool=bestpractice.com鳞状细胞癌是食管上段到中段的一种疾病,最常与吸烟和饮酒相关。在美国,虽然腺癌在整体上占优势,但是在黑人中鳞癌仍旧最常见,其在黑人男性中的发病率是白人男性的4.5倍。[8]Baquet CR, Commiskey P, Mack K, et al. Esophageal cancer epidemiology in blacks and whites: racial and gender disparities in incidence, mortality, survival rates and histology. J Natl Med Assoc. 2005;97:1471-1478.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2594901/pdf/jnma00300-0013.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16334494?tool=bestpractice.com