In very serious cases, untreated GERD (and subsequent Barrett's esophagus) can lead to cancer of the esophagus. In 2010, 16,640 new cases of esophageal cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. The main risk factors are smoking, drinking alcohol, poor diet, and chronic reflux disease.
Symptoms include weight loss, trouble swallowing, or gastrointestinal bleeding, says Dr. Sheth. "It's something that happens over decades of reflux damage, so for someone who's 30 and otherwise healthy, we probably won't consider cancer," says Dr. Sheth. "But if you're over 50 and you've had heartburn for many years and you're suddenly losing weight, for example, it's definitely something we want to test for."
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