These cancer cells can invade and destroy the tissue around them. Cancer cells can also break away and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system. This process is called metastasis and is how cancer spreads from the primary site to other parts of the body. Squamous cell carcinomas arise in squamous cells that line the esophagus. These cancers usually occur in the upper and middle part of the esophagus.
Adenocarcinomas usually develop in the glandular tissue in the lower part of the esophagus.
Both are treated similar. If the cancer spreads outside the esophagus, it often goes to the lymph nodes first which are the small bean-shaped structures that are part of the body's immune system. Esophageal cancer can also spread to almost any other part of the body, including the liver, lungs, brain, and bones. The exact causes of cancer of the esophagus are not known. Cancer of the esophagus is more common in men then in women.