What is the Difference Between Achalasia and Esophageal Cancer

The key difference between achalasia and esophageal cancer is that achalasia is a medical condition where the esophagus becomes paralyzed and dilated over time and eventually loses the ability to squeeze food down into the stomach, while esophageal cancer is a medical condition where malignant cells form in the tissues of the esophagus.

Achalasia and esophageal cancer are both gastrointestinal tract diseases. Achalasia is a chronic medical disease that increases the risk of esophageal cancer. Achalasia occurs when the valve between the esophagus and stomach does not open properly, and the pump of the esophagus does not push food down. This leads to the collection of food within the esophagus.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Achalasia 
3. What is Esophageal Cancer
4. Similarities – Achalasia and Esophageal Cancer
5. Achalasia vs Esophageal Cancer in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Achalasia vs Esophageal Cancer

What is Achalasia?

Achalasia is a medical condition where the esophagus becomes paralyzed and dilated over time, making it eventually lose its ability to squeeze food down. Achalasia is a rare disorder. It happens due to nerve damage in the esophagus caused by a viral infection or autoimmune condition. In achalasia, the food and liquid are passed from the esophagus into the stomach. The collected food, over time, ferment and wash back up into the mouth again, with a bitter taste. The signs and symptoms of this condition may include the inability to swallow, feeling like food or drink is stuck in the throat, regurgitation of food, heartburn, belching, chest pain that comes and goes, coughing at night time, aspiration pneumonia, weight loss, and vomiting.

Achalasia can be diagnosed through physical examination, esophageal manometry, X-ray of the upper digestive tract, and upper endoscopy. Furthermore, achalasia treatment focuses on stretching open the lower esophageal sphincter. The treatment options for achalasia include nonsurgical options (pneumatic dilation, giving muscle relaxants like Botox, medications like nitroglycerin and nifedipine before eating) and surgical options (Heller myotomy and peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM).

What is Esophageal Cancer?

Esophageal cancer is cancer that occurs in the esophagus. It normally begins in the cells that line the inside of the esophagus. However, it can occur anywhere along the esophagus. Women are at higher risk of getting esophageal cancer. The exact cause of esophageal cancer is not known. But it occurs when cells in the esophagus develop mutations in the DNA. The signs and symptoms of esophageal cancer include difficulty swallowing, unintentional weight loss, chest pain, pressure or burning, worsening indigestion, heartburn, and coughing (hoarseness).

Esophageal cancer can be diagnosed through Barium swallow study, endoscopy, tissue biopsy, bronchoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, CT scan, and positron emission tomography (PET). Furthermore, treatment options for surgery (surgery to remove very small tumors, surgery to remove a portion of the esophagus, surgery to remove a part of the esophagus and upper part of the stomach), relieving the esophageal obstruction, providing nutrition, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy, immunotherapy, laser therapy, and photodynamic therapy.

What are the Similarities Between Achalasia and Esophageal Cancer?

• Achalasia and esophageal cancer are both gastrointestinal tract diseases.
• Achalasia is a chronic medical disease that increases the risk of developing esophageal cancer.
• Both conditions can cause complications.
• They can be diagnosed through physical examination, endoscopy, and imaging tests.
• They are treated through specific medicines and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Achalasia and Esophageal Cancer?

Achalasia is a medical condition where the esophagus becomes paralyzed and dilated over time and eventually loses its ability to squeeze food down into the stomach, while esophageal cancer is a medical condition where malignant cells form in the tissues of the esophagus. Thus, this is the key difference between achalasia and esophageal cancer. Furthermore, in achalasia, men and women are equally affected, while in esophageal cancer, women are affected more than men.

The below infographic presents the differences between achalasia and esophageal cancer in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Achalasia vs Esophageal Cancer

Gastrointestinal disorders are disorders of the digestive system. Achalasia and esophageal cancer are two different types of gastrointestinal tract diseases. Achalasia is a medical condition where the esophagus becomes paralyzed and dilated over time and eventually loses the ability to squeeze food down into the stomach. However, esophageal cancer is a medical condition where malignant cells form in the tissues of the esophagus. So, this is the key difference between achalasia and esophageal cancer.

Reference:

1. “Achalasia.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 5 Mar. 2022.
2. “Esophageal Cancer.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 19 Apr. 2022.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Acha” By Farnoosh Farrokhi, Michael F. Vaezi. – Idiopathic (primary) achalasia. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases 2007, 2:38. Pubmed Central (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Esophageal cancer-2626-02” By melvil – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia