I heard that esophageal cancer is very dangerous, and is often detected in the late stages. I want to ask about the early signs of this disease. Are men more likely to get the disease and are people who often eat pickled foods like pickles and eggplants more likely to get the disease? (Nhu Anh, Hanoi )
Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Duc Huan, former Head of Digestive Surgery Department, Viet Duc Hospital (Hanoi), answered:
Esophageal cancer is a common type of cancer, considered one of the diseases with the worst prognosis because when detected, it is often in an advanced stage. In the early stages, the disease has vague signs, including occasional difficulty swallowing, coughing like a sore throat, and chest pain. These signs can easily confuse patients or non-specialists.
Dysphagia is the most common symptom. Initially, it is vague, stuck behind the sternum when eating solid foods; as the disease gets worse, this condition occurs more frequently, and after a few months, it can be completely difficult to swallow, even when drinking water. This causes the patient to lose weight rapidly, losing 5-7kg in a few months.
It should be noted that dysphagia is an important but not specific sign; it is also a sign of many other diseases caused by tumor compression.
When the tumor invades other organs, there will be coughing and choking when eating, gastrointestinal bleeding... Unfortunately, when there are specific symptoms, the disease is already in the late stages.
In addition, other signs of the disease can warn such as:
- Regurgitation: Food remains in the esophagus when the patient sleeps and is regurgitated back out. This phenomenon is the cause of persistent bronchitis due to fluid flowing from the esophagus into the airways.
- Excessive salivation without clear mechanism.
- Other symptoms include: Hoarseness or prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss, dark and dry skin, and visible wrinkles on the face and hands.
According to research, the male-to-female ratio is 4-1. In fact, of the 1,000 esophageal cancer patients we meet, 97-98% are male.
The most common causes are alcohol and tobacco. In addition, it can be due to precancerous diseases (ie initially benign but if not detected in time, it progresses to cancer) such as esophageal polyps, reflux esophagitis, achalasia...
Hot diets, lack of certain vitamins, etc. are also causes of esophageal cancer. There is no evidence that pickled eggplants and pickles are related to esophageal cancer, unlike the clear effects of alcohol, beer, and tobacco.
High-risk patients, aged 45 and over, should be screened for gastrointestinal cancers such as stomach or esophageal cancer. Smokers, heavy drinkers, those with vague signs of difficulty swallowing, chest pain, sore throat, or reflux are signs that suggest a visit to the doctor for early detection.
Source vietnamnet
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