Smoking Doubles the Risk of Cancer Among Barrett’s Esophagus Patients

Recent research shows that Barrett’s esophagus patients that smoke tobacco are twice as likely to develop esophageal cancer as Barrett’s esophagus patients who do not smoke. The common belief is that alcohol is the most important risk factor in advancing cancer among Barrett’s esophagus patients, but the recent research shows that smoking tobacco is a much greater risk factor than consumption of alcohol.

This does not mean that Barrett’s esophagus patients have a green light to start drinking, as alcohol may still be a risk factor in the progression of cancer. Alcohol did not seem to contribute to the progression of cancer among Barrett’s esophagus patients who were studied. It does mean that if a Barrett’s esophagus patient smokes, he or she should quit smoking immediately or seek help through a smoking cessation program if he or she is unable to quit without assistance.

During the course of this study, 3,000 Barrett’s esophagus patients around the world were observed from 1993 to 2005. 117 of those patients developed cancers of the stomach or esophagus, or dysplasia. The length of the study meant that researchers were able to gather data on smoking habits of Barrett’s esophagus patients from the time that they were diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus to correlate it with data on symptoms years later. This means that the research had much less bias than studies that rely on information provided by patients about their smoking habits in the past.

The number of cigarettes smoked made little or no difference in whether a Barrett’s esophagus patient developed esophageal cancer, meaning that cutting down on tobacco consumption is ineffective. The only effective way to reduce the risk is to stop smoking completely.