Esophagus (definition of)

Also known as the gullet, the esophagus the tube through which food and water passes from the oral cavity into the intestinal tract. The word itself (like virtually all medical terms) is from Greek; oisofágos literally means "entrance for eating."

The esophagus has three sections known as the cervical (throat), thoracic (chest) and abdominal. It passes through a special opening in the thoracic diaphragm, known as the esophageal hiatus. Together with the trachea, or windpipe, it forms what is known as the mediastinum, which also includes the heart, phrenic nerve, thoracic duct, thymus and the lymph nodes of the central thorax.

Because it is close to the lungs and the heart is involved, the malignancy associated with mesothelioma (like pericardial mesothelioma) and other pleural cancers can spread to the esophagus and associated organs.