Esophageal cancer (patient information)

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What is Esophageal cancer?

Esophageal cancer is not very common in the United States. The esophagus is a hollow muscular tube, starting in the throat and ending at the stomach, and is used to carry the food you swallow to your stomach to be digested. It is hard to detect esophageal cancer in its early stages. Even if you get symptoms, they may not cause you to be alarmed and seek help from your doctor. However, as the cancer grows, symptoms may include dysphagia, chest pain, weight loss and coughing up blood. Treatments include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and laser therapy. Esophageal cancer patients also need nutritional support.

How do I know if I have esophageal cancer and what are the symptoms of esophageal cancer?

Early esophageal cancer does not make any symptoms. When the cancer grows larger, people may notice one or more symptoms as the following:

• Dysphagia: This is the most common symptom of esophageal cancer. It means problem swallowing, with the feeling like the food is stuck in the throat or chest. At first it is often mild, and then gets worse and worse. At last, patients can eat nothing except water.

• Chest pain or chest burning sensation: Chest pain with swallowing may occur when the cancer is large enough to block the esophagus. Some patients describe a feeling of pressure or burning in the chest.

• Hiccups: This happens because the digestive dysfunction of the esophagus.

• vomitting blood: When lump invades blood vessle, vomitting blood may happen. This may e the first symptom in some patient.

• Wleigh loss: This is because the swallowing problems prevent patients from eating enough to maintain their weight. Other factors include loss of appetite and increase in metabolism from the cancer.

Infections or other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell the doctor so that problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

Where to find medical care for esophageal cancer

Directions to Hospitals

Copyleft Sources

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/esophagealcancer.html

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_esophagus_cancer_12.asp?sitearea=