Definition: The muscular tube that carries food and liquids from the throat to the stomach. The esophagus runs through the middle of the chest cavity, an area known as the mediastinum.
The esophagus can be affected with lung cancer by:
- Local pressure from a tumor pushing on the esophagus
- Complications of surgery when a tumor is near the esophagus
- Inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis,) caused by radiation therapy or chemotherapy
