In a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt on July 13, Christopher Hitchens revealed a snippet of information that allows outsiders to determine the progress of his cancer and make a ballpark estimate of his chances of survival.
HH: Now Christopher, since we last spoke, your illness you disclosed on the web, and people will want to know off the bat how you are doing, and how your treatment is going.
CH: Oh well, I have, in case people are just tuning in, I have cancer in my esophagus, which has I think spread a little to my lymph nodes as well. And I’m two weeks into the chemotherapy course. So I feel pretty weak, and my voice isn’t what it was, but that’s supposed to be a good sign in that the amount of poison I’m taking is presumably working on the bad stuff as well as the good stuff. And this morning, I found that my hair was beginning to come out in the shower, which is a bit demoralizing, I have to say, even though it’s the least of it.
That the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, even a little, is bad news for his prognosis. According to gilhealth.com, the stages of cancer of the esophagus are classified as follows:
Stage 0 (carcinoma in situ) This is a very early cancer. In fact, the cancer cells are found only in the top layer of the inner wall of the esophagus. The cancer has not invaded into the wall of the esophagus and has not spread to lymph nodes or other organs. Stage I The cancer has invaded into the wall of the esophagus, but has not penetrated the thick muscular layer which surrounds it. It has not spread to nearby tissues, lymph nodes, or other organs. Stage II There are two substages - IIA and IIB. In IIA, the cancer has penetrated the muscular layer and may have broken through the outer wall, but has not yet spread to nearby lymph nodes or any other organs. In IIB, the cancer may have spread to local lymph nodes, but has not spread to other tissues. Stage III The cancer has spread to tissues or lymph nodes near the esophagus, but has not spread to other parts of the body. Stage IV The cancer has entered the bloodstream and has spread to other parts of the body such as the liver or lung.
This means that at minimum, Hitch's cancer has reached Stage IIB, and it is possible that it has reached Stage III. gihealth.com also provides a a chart 5-year survival chances, which are very poor for either of these stages.
STAGE CHANCE OF SURVIVING 5 YEARS Stage 0 75% Stage I 60% Stage IIA 40% Stage IIB 20% Stage III 15% Stage IV LESS THAN 5%
Still, we British have always fought against the odds, haven't we?
This will be academic to Christopher, but for those of you who don't want to share his sad fate, you can reduce you risk of developing cancer of the esophagus by avoiding tobacco, moderating your alcohol consumption, and treating the symptoms of heartburn.
Those at highest risk are individuals who use tobacco in any form and drink regularly. Daily consumption of moderate to heavy alcohol increases the risk of esophageal cancer about 18 times above normal. Adding a pack or two of cigarettes a day, raise this risk to 44 times normal. These individuals can reduce their risk by stopping all tobacco, drinking in moderation, and aggressively evaluating and treating heartburn. Those that have heartburn more than twice a week or severe heartburn, should consult with their physician. Any one who has noted difficulty swallowing should be referred for a full evaluation.
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