Oesophageal means relating to the oesophagus, the muscular tube that transports food and liquid from the pharynx to the stomach through coordinated peristaltic contractions. The adjective appears across gastroenterology and nutrition: oesophageal reflux, oesophageal stricture, oesophageal cancer, and oesophageal manometry, the pressure test used to assess swallowing function. Dietetic management of oesophageal disorders centres on texture modification, since narrowing, inflammation, or motility failure makes normal bolus passage difficult or painful. Oesophageal cancer, strongly linked to smoking, alcohol, obesity-related reflux, and in some regions hot beverages and nutritional deficiencies, is among the deadlier malignancies because it often presents late. The oesophageal phase of swallowing is involuntary, which is why its disorders so directly threaten nutritional intake.