If these symptoms appear in the throat, it is not 'pharyngitis', it may be 'esophageal cancer' upper body
"Eat is a blessing, good eating is wisdom." After being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, Wang Jian (pseudonym) realized how true this sentence is.
Half a year ago, 54-year-old Wang Jian had a slight choking feeling when he was eating , but he didn't care at that time, thinking it was just a sore throat, so he took some anti-inflammatory drugs casually. Until half a month ago, his esophagus would suffer severe pain when he normally eats and drinks water. He went to the Second Hospital of Harbin Medical University for examination. The doctor found a 3cm-diameter tumor 28cm away from the incisors . Further biopsy was confirmed as esophageal cancer .
This news was like a bolt from the blue. Wang Jian never imagined that the " pharyngitis " he thought was actually esophageal cancer. Afterwards, the doctor conducted a comprehensive examination on him, and performed the Da Vinci robotic mediastinal inflatable esophageal cancer operation, dissociating the affected esophagus, anastomotic esophagus-stomach, and reconstructing the digestive tract.
1. Esophageal cancer is not uncommon
Esophageal cancer is not uncommon in China. Data show that in 2020, there will be 324,000 new cases of esophageal cancer and 301,000 deaths in China , all exceeding 50% of the global total. Since there are no typical symptoms and signs in the early stage of esophageal cancer, most patients are diagnosed in the middle and late stages, and the overall prognosis is poor. In 2015, the age-standardized 5-year survival rate of esophageal cancer in China was 30.3%, and the 5-year survival rate of early esophageal cancer was 95%, but the overall 5-year survival rate was still low .
From the distribution point of view, the population of esophageal cancer patients in China is unbalanced, with more men than women, more rural areas than cities, and there are regional aggregations, such as the Taihang Mountains where Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi meet.
2. Don't mistake esophageal cancer for "pharyngitis"
Because the early symptoms of esophageal cancer are similar to those of pharyngitis, they are often ignored by patients, resulting in untimely detection. The early symptoms of esophageal cancer can be summarized as "three senses and one pain", here is an explanation for you.
1. Esophageal foreign body sensation
Even if you don't eat, you will feel that there is a foreign body in the esophagus, as if rice or vegetable leaves are stuck to it, and it is difficult to swallow, but there is no pain.
2. Swallowing choking sensation
Discomfort or discomfort when swallowing food, or even choking in severe cases, is related to the congestion, swelling, and erosion of the esophageal mucosa caused by early lesions, and irritation occurs when food passes through.
3. Throat urgency
A tightness in the throat, especially when swallowing dry, rough food, is more pronounced and can be accompanied by mild pain. As the disease progresses, patients may cough or become hoarse, or even cough up bloody mucus.
4. Retrosternal pain
Pain behind the sternum, manifested as burning tingling or persistent dull pain, but the location of the pain is difficult to identify, the degree is mild or severe, and it usually relieves or disappears after meals.
In fact, the biggest difference between esophageal cancer and pharyngitis is the difference in "swallowing" .
Swallowing foreign body sensation caused by pharyngitis has nothing to do with the nature of the diet, and the foreign body sensation will be relieved when eating. On the contrary, dysphagia caused by esophageal cancer will progressively worsen , and it will be difficult to even drink water in the end, and there will be a clear sense of blockage when eating.
3. What subject? What to check?
If you have symptoms of suspected esophageal cancer, or you cannot tell whether you have pharyngitis or esophageal cancer, you must seek medical attention in time. For esophageal cancer, many hospitals now adopt "multidisciplinary consultation", which can be linked to gastroenterology first to make a clear diagnosis. If diagnosed, thoracic surgery, oncology and other departments will be involved.
Currently, there are three main types of esophageal cancer screening methods:
· Esophagoscopy
The diagnostic rate of esophagoscopy is as high as 80%, and the advantage is that the tumor can be directly seen and directly sampled for biopsy.
· Endoscopic ultrasound
Endoscopic ultrasound is a combination of " endoscopy + ultrasound " , which can directly observe the morphological changes in the esophageal cavity through the endoscope, and perform real-time ultrasound scanning at the same time, which can be used to detect earlier esophageal mucosal lesions.
· Barium meal angiography
The accuracy rate of barium meal angiography is only about 50% , and it can only be displayed when the morphology of the lesion changes significantly. If the angiography shows that the mucosal folds in the lesion area are thickened and tortuous, it means that it may have developed into early invasive cancer.
4. Prevention from life is not difficult to do
"China Guidelines for Screening, Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment of Esophageal Cancer (2022 Edition)" pointed out that the current research has identified the main risk factors and protective factors of esophageal cancer , and they are relatively common in life, and everyone can take active actions for targeted prevention.
Method 1: Avoid risk factors
Risk factors for esophageal cancer include specific dietary habits, family inheritance, alcohol consumption, and smoking . It is not necessary to go into details about quitting smoking and drinking, but specific dietary habits should also be avoided as much as possible. Studies have shown that eating habits such as pickled food, moldy food, irregular diet, hot food, high-salt diet, and eating too fast will increase the risk of esophageal cancer.
Method 2: Increase the protective factor
Studies have established that protective factors for esophageal cancer include intake of dietary fiber, dietary calcium, and fruits and vegetables .
(1) Moderate intake of dietary fiber
It can promote intestinal metabolism and protect digestive tract health. Foods rich in dietary fiber include vegetables, beans, fruits and whole grains .
(2) Supplement calcium in the diet
The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that people over the age of 50 should consume 1000 mg of calcium per day . Foods with high calcium content include green vegetables, milk and dairy products, soy products, bacteria and algae foods (such as kelp, black fungus ) and so on.
(3) Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits
The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" recommends that residents should consume 200-350g of fresh fruits and at least 300g of fresh vegetables every day, and dark vegetables should account for half of them .
There are roughly three types of dark fruits and vegetables, and you can eat them in rotation:
Dark green fruits and vegetables : spinach, rape, spinach, leeks, broccoli, chrysanthemum, mustard greens, watercress, kiwi, etc.;
Orange-yellow fruits and vegetables : tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, citrus, persimmons, mangoes, peppers, banana peppers, etc.;
·Red, purple and black fruits and vegetables : amaranth, purple cabbage, red dates, cherries, mulberries, etc.
Therefore, it is not difficult to prevent esophageal cancer, the difficult thing is to persist, and the difficult thing is to start from bit by bit. However, as long as you can stay away from cancer and protect your health, why is it difficult?
References:
[1] He Jie, Chen Wanqing, Li Zhaoshen, et al. Guidelines for screening, early diagnosis and early treatment of esophageal cancer in China (2022, Beijing) [J]. Chinese Journal of Oncology, 2022, 44(6):491-522
[2] Early signals, high-risk groups, examination and prevention of esophageal cancer, Guo Jianhua, Medical Forum Network, 2019-10-11
[3] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022). Beijing: People's Health Publishing House, 2022
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