Christopher Hitchens To Undergo Chemotherapy For Esophagus Cancer

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Main Category: Ear, Nose and Throat
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 01 Jul 2010 - 12:00 PDT

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British-born author and journalist, Christopher Hitchens, 61, has announced that he is to undergo chemotherapy for cancer of the esophagus, cancelling any further commitments in his current tour to promote his new book Hitch 22. He made the announcement via Vanity Fair's web site, a publication for which he contributes.

Hitchens is well known to be a heavy cigarette smoker. Although he appeared to have quit in 2008, various sources report that he fell off the nicotine-wagon. Fox News writes that in 2003 he admitted that his alcohol intake was enough to kill or stun the average mule.

Hitchen said:

I have been advised by my physician that I must undergo a course of chemotherapy on my esophagus. This advice seems persuasive to me. I regret having had to cancel so many engagements at such short notice.

Hitchens, an atheist, has been identified as being an exponent of the new atheism movement. He describes himself as a believer in the philosophical values of the Age of Enlightenment. He claims that the concept of God as a supreme being is a totalitarian belief that undermines individual freedom, and that scientific discovery, and free expression should replace religion, which is an obstacle for these things, as a means of teaching ethics and defining human civilization. In his 2007 book God is Not Great, he wrote at length on atheism and the nature of religion. He is an admirer of George Orwell, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson.

He has both US and British citizenships.

What is cancer of the esophagus (Esophageal cancer)?

Esophageal cancer occurs in the esophagus which is a long hollow tube that runs from the throat to the stomach. The esophagus carries the food that is swallowed all the way to the stomach to be digested.

Esophageal cancer usually begins in the cells that line the inside of the esophagus. Cancer happens when some of the cells multiply in an abnormal way, causing a growth called a tumor to form. Tumors can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). They can occur in any part of the body where the cells multiply abnormally.

Esophageal cancer is not common. In areas of the world, such as Asia and parts of Africa, esophageal cancer is much more common.

Men and people over the age of 55 are most commonly affected esophageal cancer.

Types of cancer of the esophagus:

• Squamous cell carcinoma forms in the upper part of the esophagus when cells on the inside lining of the esophagus multiply abnormally.
• Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus forms in the lower part of the esophagus when cells inside the mucous glands that line the esophagus multiply abnormally. Mucous glands produce a slimy substance to help food slide down the esophagus more easily.
• Other rare types. Rare forms of esophageal cancer include choriocarcinoma, lymphoma, melanoma, sarcoma and small cell cancer.

For more information on cancer of the esophagus, click here.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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