All Facts About Esophagus Cancer
“Cancer” is the name of a killer. But cancer does not mean death. There are many who have survived the battle with cancer. Again, this “cancer” is responsible for many deaths. However, there are different types of cancer. And one of them is “Esophagus Cancer” or “Esophageal Cancer”. According to a report, esophageal cancer is one of the most common cancers in Bangladesh.
The Food pipe which is between the throat and the stomach is basically known as “Esophagus”. The cancer that is found in the esophagus is basically known as “Esophagus Cancer “. About 14% of the total patients suffer from this cancer.Tumors inside the esophagus are more likely to cause cancer. The most worrying thing is that this cancer has the highest death rate.
According to a 2018 study by the World Cancer Research Fund, Bangladesh ranks fourth in Asia in the incidence of esophageal cancer, so experts believe that various initiatives are needed to prevent it.
Types Of Esophagus Cancer
Generally, there are two types of “Esophagus Cancer”. They are -
- Adenocarcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
Symptoms of Esophageal Cancer
One thing to note here is that the symptoms that occur when a person gets this cancer is not very complicated in the initial stage, so it is very difficult for many people to understand that it can be cancer. However the symptoms are -
- At first it will be difficult to swallow solid food. It can also be difficult to eat liquids slowly afterwards.
- There will be digestive problems, stomach ache, chest pain. If these symptoms appear, the disease will not get better even after 2 weeks of normal treatment.
- Weight loss
- Coughing for a long time
- Persistent constipation or diarrhea etc.
Causes of Esophageal Cancer
People over the age of 40 are usually at higher risk of developing this cancer. Below are the causes of esophageal cancer :
- Drinking Alcohol
- Overweight
- Eats anything that causes harm to health like cigarettes
- Eats fast food too much and fried foods in burnt oil
- Eats adulterated food with artificial colors and preservatives etc.
Important Steps to reduce the risk of esophageal cancer:
- If obesity is high, try to control it
- Take exercise regularly
- Avoid Drinking Alcohol
- Don’t take which causes harm to health like cigarettes
- If there is polyp in the colon, get it treated.
- Avoid fast food and outside adulterated food
- If possible, eat more green vegetables.
- Don’t eat foods which have artificial colors.
Diagnosis
Doctors asked a person to undergo some health checks to make sure she/he has esophageal cancer.
- Endoscopy and Biopsy.
- Barium X-ray.
- Laparoscopy
Treatments:
There are many diseases in the body which once caught can no longer be cured but can be controlled. And through control that patients can survive. However, esophageal cancer is curable in most cases. Its treatment is quite complex and time consuming.
The treatment will depend on the following factors-
- Based on the location of the cancer in the esophagus
- How much of this cancer is spread across the esophagus.
- Location of cancer cells or tumors
- The overall health condition of the patient
- Whether the patient is ready for the operation or not
Generally, surgery is the biggest solution for esophageal cancer. However, if this cancer of the esophagus is detected in the initial stage, many hassles can be avoided in the later treatment. If the cancer spreads then the patient’s life is in danger.
The following therapies are used in this treatment:
- Radiotherapy
- Chemotherapy
- Photodynamics therapy
Final Words
No disease should be neglected. Therefore, action must be taken as soon as the symptoms appear.
Sources:
- Wikipedia.org
- BBC.com
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