Stomach and Esophageal Cancers in Northern Iran

This study, sponsored jointly by the National Cancer Institute and the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, will explore the causes of cancers of the stomach and esophagus (the tube that runs between the mouth and the stomach) in Northern Iran. This is a unique area of study for the following reasons: * Some of the highest rates of esophageal cancer in the world have been reported in northeastern Iran 109 cases per 100,000 men and 175 cases per 100,000 women each year about 40 times higher than the rates of this cancer in the United States. * In this area of Iran, unlike most areas of the world, the disease affects more women than men. * Within 300 miles along the southern border of the Caspian Sea, the rates fall to 10 cases per 100,000 people per year. The high rates of disease in this area, the unique geographic distribution of cases, and the exceptionally high rate in women make Northern Iran a promising site for studying esophageal and stomach cancers. Patients 30 years of age and older who are referred to the upper gastrointestinal disease Atrak Clinic in Gonbad, Golestan Province, Iran, with suspected esophageal cancer may be eligible for this study. In addition, control subjects 30 years of age and older with certain specified diseases will be recruited from patients referred to four hospitals in Gonbad and to the Taleghani Clinic. After giving informed consent, all participants will undergo the following procedures: * Interviews, including questions about age, ethnicity, education, and other demographic data; habits, such as tobacco, opium, and alcohol consumption; personal and family medical history; diet, with special attention to food preservation, cooking methods, and drinking water; physical activity; occupational and residential history; body measurements; signs and symptoms of upper gastrointestinal disease; oral hygiene; animal contact; transfusion history; and family socioeconomic status. * Blood draw (15 milliliters, or 1 tablespoon) for gen