Action Against Heartburn
Charities promoting earlier diagnosis of stomach & gullet cancer
- Heartburn (also known as acid reflux) can do damage to the cells of your gullet (oesophagus), the tube linking your throat and your stomach, if it persists for a long period.
Heartburn often occurs at night.
- This may lead on to a condition known as Barrett's Oesophagus
- Having Barrett's Oesophagus may give a risk of eventually developing adenocarcinoma, which accounts for 70% of the oesophageal cancer cases in the UK.
The Action Against Heartburn Campaign says:
- Consult your GP if you have:
- persistent heartburn (acid reflux, often at night) - ie more than 4 times a week for 4 weeks or if it recurs a few times a week for 4 months
- persistent indigestion
- persistent hiccups or regurgitation of food
- difficulty or pain in swallowing food
- unexplained weight loss
- Do not keep taking over-the-counter indigestion remedies week after week without seeing your GP to investigate underlying causes (which most often will be less serious than cancer)
- GPs should consider a review of patients taking prescription remedies for reducing stomach acid after an appropriate period
- Better diagnosis of Barrett's Oesophagus is important
- An endoscopic examination is the only sure way of detecting Barrett's Oesophagus or oesophageal cancer. This should be available for people of any age with worrying symptoms
- Lifestyle, diet and obesity may contribute to acid reflux, and there are good reasons for us to address these issues even if they do not contribute to us developing cancer.
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