Acid reflux may enhance the risk of rare types of cancer: study

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is associated with symptoms like heartburn, may enhance the risk of cancers of the larynx and esophagus, a new study published in journal Cancer suggests.

For the study, a team led by scientists of the National Cancer Institute, which is a part of the US National Institutes of Health, analyzed information on close to 5 lakh adults.

24% of the participants had a history of GERD and they concluded after 16 years that 931 patients developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, 876 developed laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and 301 developed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Even though more research is needed to ascertain the findings, their study claimed that people with GERD were at two times higher risk of developing these cancers.