Esophageal cancer is a kind of cancer that develops in the esophagus, the tube that connects the throat to the stomach. There are two forms of esophageal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Researchers have found specific hereditary gene variants that may enhance the chance of getting esophageal cancer. Many key advancements in medicine have resulted from studying genes in families with a proclivity for specific diseases, such as the discovery of statins in family members who suffered heart attacks at a young age. Now, a team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University has identified an inherited mutation in