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Esophageal cancer is a cancer that does not give a good prognosis. Esophageal cancer is promoted by alcohol abuse, smoking, and a poor diet. People infected with the Helicobacter pylori bacterium are also at risk of developing the disease. Esophageal cancer affects men more than women.

Esophageal canceris a serious neoplastic disease. Only about 8 percent can count on a 5-year survival. sick. The most common cancer of the esophagus is the so-calledsquamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus . It constitutes approx. 90 percent. all malignant neoplasms of this organ. The remaining 10 percent. is an adenocarcinoma that usually occurs in the lower 1/3 of the esophagus.

Esophageal cancer - causes

The main cause of esophageal cancer (in 80-90%) is excessive drinking of high-percentage alcohol and smoking (especially when started at an early age). The disease is also favored by an improper diet - the use of spicy spices, drinking hot drinks, deficiencies of vitamins A, B2, C, E, deficiencies of trace elements, including zinc, magnesium, molybdenum and manganese. People who suffer mechanical injuries to the esophagus (e.g. as a result of chemical burns) are also at risk of developing the disease.

Read also: Early symptoms of gastrointestinal cancers: pancreas, stomach, esophagus, bowel cancer

Esophageal cancer - symptoms

The main symptoms of esophageal cancer are difficulty swallowing (called dysphagia). Specialists distinguish four degrees of dysphagia:

I - possibility of swallowing solid food,

II - possibility of swallowing only comminuted foods,

III - only liquids can be swallowed,

IV - aphagia, complete inability to swallow, not even saliva.

Other symptoms include retrosternal pain, vomiting, reflux pneumonia, upper abdominal pain, or halitosis. In the advanced stage, there is bloody vomiting, hoarseness caused by the infiltration of the tumor on the laryngeal nerves, and rapid weight loss.

Esophageal cancer - diagnosis

To diagnose esophageal cancer, a contrast-enhanced esophageal x-ray can be used to determine the type and size of the tumor. It is also a good idea to get an x-ray of the lungs to make sure there are no metastases. Speculum examination(esophagoscopy) allows to determine the location of the tumor, the degree of esophageal stricture and to take specimens for histological examination.

Ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity and neck gives a picture of the liver, subdural lymph nodes, supraclavicular and cervical area. If the tumor is in the upper and middle esophagus, bronchoscopy is performed. If the tumor is not clear, a CT scan should be performed.

Endoscopic ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) are increasingly used to diagnose esophageal cancers.

Also read: Symptoms of stomach cancer

Esophageal cancer - treatment

The type of treatment is influenced by the severity of the disease. If the cancer is found early enough, the esophagus can be surgically removed. Esophageal resection can be performed by several methods, e.g. by removing the thoracic esophagus, by dragging the stomach in the retrosternal tunnel, or by esophageal anastomosis on the neck.

If it is too late for surgery, radical radiotherapy or combination therapy is used, which consists in the use of radio- or radiochemotherapy before surgery. The most effective way to facilitate the patient's swallowing is laser restoration of the esophagus and the use of radiotherapy.

Probe

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Category:

Oncology