Cancer of the oesophagus is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the UK. There are around 8,000 new cases each year. Oesophageal cancer affects mainly people over the age of 55, with the average age at diagnosis 72. The condition is more common in men than in women. NHS Choices says there are two main types: squamous cell carcinoma, which forms in the upper part of the oesophagus, and adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus, which forms in the lower part of the gullet.
Nursing Standard. 28, 25, 19-19. doi: 10.7748/ns2014.02.28.25.19.s25
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