Unlike European and American countries, esophageal cancer in China is mostly found in the middle and upper esophagus, and most of the pathological types are squamous cell carcinoma. The exact cause of esophageal cancer is not clear. However, studies have shown that any of the following factors may increase the risk of esophageal cancer: i. Age Esophageal cancer is more common in the elderly, and most patients are older than 60 years old. Therefore, anyone who is older than 50 years old and has posterior sternal discomfort, pain or swallowing difficulty related to eating should consider this disease and promptly undergo relevant examinations to clarify the diagnosis. Smoking Long-term smoking of cigarettes or tobacco is a major risk factor for the development of esophageal cancer. Alcohol consumption Long-term heavy alcohol consumption (especially white wine) is another major risk factor for esophageal cancer. If you smoke and drink alcohol at the same time, you will become a high-risk group for esophageal cancer. Studies have shown that tobacco and alcohol can increase each other’s damage to the esophagus. Barrett’s esophagus Regular acid reflux into the esophagus (GERD) stimulates the mucosal tissue of the lower esophagus, which can cause the morphology of the mucosal cells of the lower esophagus to change into the morphology of the gastric mucosal cells and become Barrett’s esophagus. ‘s esophagus is a precancerous lesion of adenocarcinoma in the lower esophagus. V. History of disease Those who have a history of head and neck malignancies are at increased risk of developing second malignant tumors of the head and neck, including the esophagus. Swallowing certain corrosive liquids such as alkaline liquids can cause damage to the esophageal mucosa and increase the risk of esophageal cancer. Those who have the above mentioned risks only increase the chance of developing esophageal cancer, while many patients with esophageal cancer do not have any of the above risk factors. The purpose of knowing this is to better prevent the disease from occurring. The easiest steps to take to prevent esophageal cancer are to quit smoking (or never smoke) and to moderate alcohol consumption. Much research continues on the causes and prevention of esophageal cancer, for example, increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables, especially raw vegetables, may reduce the risk of developing esophageal cancer. Of course, research on Barrett’s esophagus continues, and reflux esophagitis should be treated aggressively and reviewed regularly.