For nearly all cancers of the oesophagus there is no genetic link and no risk that the cancer can be passed from one generation to the next.

The one exception to this is a rare condition called tylosis. People who have tylosis get thickening of the skin of the palms of their hands and soles of their feet. They also get benign tumours of the oesophagus, which are called papillomas, and these can often become cancerous. Tylosis is an inherited disease and recently the gene which causes it (TOC, or the tylosis oesophageal cancer gene) has been identified.

It is important to stress that tylosis is very uncommon and that there is no family tendency for the great majority of oesophageal cancers.