SCIENCE FILE : Swedish Researchers Link Chronic, Severe Heartburn to Throat Cancer

Chronic, severe heartburn appears to cause throat cancer in some people, Swedish researchers say. In a study of 189 people with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, 60% said they suffered serious heartburn at least once a week in the years before developing the disease. That level is four times higher than among comparable people without the disease.

The researchers estimate that chronic, mild to moderate heartburn raises the risk of the throat cancer nearly eight-fold; people with the most serious and painful heartburn have nearly 44 times the cancer risk. About 4,700 men and 1,500 women in the United States are expected to develop esophageal adenocarcinoma this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

The new findings, which appear today in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that physicians and patients should treat serious heartburn more aggressively with checkups, drugs and possible surgery.