Esophageal Cancer - Signs, Symptoms and Treatment

Before examining esophageal cancer, let's understand what the esophagus is.  The esophagus is the tube which connects the mouth and stomach.  The esophagus's wall is composed of muscles responsible for the motion which eases food into the stomach.  The throat attaches with the esophagus, and there is no obvious dividing line between the two.

Esophageal cancer is the presence of a malignant tumor in the esophagus.  A tumor is a mass of cells which are growing quickly and out of control.  A tumor is said to be benign when its growth is uncontrolled, but it does not invade neighboring tissues or spread throughout the body.  A malignant tumor is when the tumor cells begin invading tissues and spreading throughout the body.  This is also called cancer.

About 13,500 Americans develop esophageal cancer each year, with 12, 500 dying from the disease.  Most of the patients diagnosed with the disease get it in their 50s or 60s.  A large number of people who get esophageal cancer have been heavy smokers or heavy alcohol users--and significantly, a large percentage of this group are both.  Therefore, it seems as though somehow, the two habits together work to make a person more likely to get the cancer.  Other factors that might contribute are contact with nitrosamines, petroleum products and asbestos fibers. 

Since smoking is the strongest risk factor linked with cancer of the esophagus, and since alcohol apparently plays a strong supporting role, a person who ceases these habits lowers his chances of developing the disease. 

One of the key signs of possible cancer of the esophagus is having problems swallowing; this afflicts about 90 percent of those with the disease.  Many also often report a sensation of food that gets stuck in the chest, where presumably the growing tumor keeps the food from passing normally.  Some other less-common symptoms include chest pain, coughing or vomiting blood, or blood in the stool.

The type of treatment depends largely on how advanced the cancer is.  If it's diagnosed early enough, surgery alone could be enough to take care of it.  Others might require some combination of treatment methods, including surgery, chemotherapy, and / or radiation therapy.  For many of these advanced cases, surgery alone is not recommended because the size and complexity of the tumors makes cutting accurately more difficult.

In radiation therapy, high-energy rays are aimed at the tumor with the hopes of killing the cancerous cells.  This usually takes place over a period of 6 to 8 weeks, during which the patient comes in five days a week for the painless treatments.  In chemotherapy, cancer-killing drugs are administered throughout the person's blood system.  Chemotherapy has the unfortunate side-effects of leaving many patients feeling nauseated, while radiation therapy can cause hair loss.  Only a doctor can tell the patient which stage the cancer is at, and therefore which treatment method or methods are appropriate. Speak with him if you have any concerns about any treatment being suggested.