[Why oesophageal adenocarcinoma is occurring more frequently]

The incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma has increased rapidly over the past decades in the Western world. The prognosis is poor with a mean 5-year survival rate of 19% in the Netherlands. Important risk factors that might account for this rising incidence are reflux, obesity and the absence of Helicobacter pylori. Oesophageal adenocarcinoma is 9 times more likely in men than in women. The reason for this much higher incidence of adenocarcinoma in men is still unclear, but sex hormones may play a role.