Objective: Esophageal cancer is a highly aggressive malignancy with poor outcomes in majority. Its incidence is dramatically on the rise with squamous cell carcinoma being commonest histotype worldwide followed by adenocarcinoma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the time trends in esophageal cancer in north India. Methods: Clinico-histological profile of all patients with esophageal cancer was evaluated over a time period which was 15 years and divided into 3 groups of 5 consecutive years each. Based on endoscopy findings the site specific tumor location was ascertained. Biopsy material/sections from resection specimens were examined for tumor histotype and grade. Results: A total of 896 cases of esophageal cancer were diagnosed. There were 466 (52%) male and 422 (48%) female with mean age of 57.73 ± 12.39 years (range 15-95 years). The upper, middle and lower thirds of the esophagus was involved in 200 (22.32%), 366 (40.85%) and 330 (36.83%) cases respectively. Squamous cell carcinoma was the predominant histological type (793 cases, 88.50%) followed by adenocarcinoma (103 cases, 11.50%). All the tumors (566, 63.17%) involving the upper and the middle thirds of esophagus were squamous cell carcinomas. Of 330 cases involving the lower esophagus, 103 (31.21%) were adenocarcinomas and 227 (68.79%) were squamous cell carcinomas. Conclusions: The study shows squamous cell carcinoma as a major histological type of cancer even in the lower and middle parts of the esophagus. No significant change in trend was observed in the three time periods as regards the mean age and gender distribution.

Keywords: Esophagus; Cancer; Histotype; Squamous; Adenocarcinoma.