Food pipe Cancer (Esophageal Cancer)

The esophagus is a muscular tube measuring 20-25 cm long and approx 2,5 cm wide that serves as a channel for moving food and drink from the mouth to the stomach.

What Are the Risk Factors for Esophageal Cancer?

Risk factors for adenocarcinoma are different from those of squamous cell carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is most commonly seen within a segment of Barrett’s esophagus, where they arise from chronic peptic ulcers in the lower esophagus. This happens as a complication of chronic reflux of gastric contents (GERD) into the lower esophagus.

Squamous cell carcinoma occurs more commonly in people who heavily use tobacco and alcohol or who have previously swallowed some caustic substance.

Its more common in males.

Important risk factors in developing countries include the following:

• Nutritional deficiencies related to lack of fresh fruit and vegetables
• Drinking hot beverages
• A range of chewing and smoking habits
• HPV infection (squamous cell cancer of the esophagus)

What Are Symptoms and Signs of Esophageal Cancer

Symptoms of esophageal cancer usually do not show up until the disease has reached an advanced stage.

• The most common symptom is difficulty swallowing (dysphagia).
• Initially, swallowing solids is difficult.
• Over time, even swallowing liquids becomes difficult.

The following symptoms may accompany cancer of the esophagus. Any of these symptoms are indications of advanced disease and should be considered as a sign to get medical attention.

• Weight loss
• Central chest pain and/or pain behind the breastbone
• Pain upon swallowing
• Vomiting
• Chronic cough and/or hoarseness
• Symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding
• Black stools

Vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds

Diagnosis Esophageal Cancer

endoscopic examination of the esophagus with a tiny camera.

The doctor can take biopsies to confirm whether the abnormality is a cancer and to determine its type.

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) barium contrast studies

Endoscopic ultrasound:

Once the presence of cancer has been confirmed, the doctor tries to determine the spread of the malignancy beyond the esophagus. Doctors may use the following imagery:

CT scan of the chest and abdomen

Chest X-ray

PET scan in combination with CT scan

Nuclear bone scans

Thoracoscopy

Esophageal Cancer: Treatment Options

For people with a tumor that has not spread beyond the esophagus and lymph nodes, doctors often recommend combining different types of treatment: radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.

For advanced esophageal cancer, treatment usually involves chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Surgery

Surgery has traditionally been the most common treatment for esophageal cancer. However, currently, surgery is used as the main treatment only for patients with early-stage esophageal cancer.

Endoscopic treatment

Endoscopy and dilation. This procedure expands the esophagus. It may have to be repeated if the tumor grows.

Endoscopy with stent placement.

Radiation therapy

he most common type of radiation treatment is called external-beam radiation therapy, which is radiation therapy given from a machine outside the body.

When radiation treatment is given directly inside the body, it is called internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells, usually by stopping the cancer cells’ ability to grow and divide.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy is a treatment that targets the cancer’s specific genes, proteins, or the tissue environment that contributes to cancer growth and survival.

Advanced Esophageal Cancer

Locally advanced cancer means that the cancer has spread into the tissues around the oesophagus. It hasn’t spread to other organs.

The most common place for oesophageal cancer to spread is to the liver. It can also spread to the lungs, to lymph nodes or to the stomach.

You might have any of the following symptoms if your cancer has spread to the liver:

• discomfort or pain on the right side of your tummy (abdomen)
• feeling sick
• poor appetite and weight loss
• a swollen tummy (called ascites)
• yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
• itchy skin

You should know that treatment for pain is part of cancer treatment. It is important to resist the big myth that because cancer is a serious disease, pain is to be expected. Most people can get complete relief for their pain — or at least significant relief that allows them to enjoy the activities of daily life.

What is advanced or metastatic Esophageal cancer

Advanced esophageal cancer includes stage 3 and stage 4 and terminal cancer. Stage 3 includes when cancer spreads to other tissues in and around the ovary and / or lymph nodes. Stage 4 includes metastasis.

Metastasis happens when cancer cells break away from a primary tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system (the system that produces stores and carries the cells that fight infections). When cancer cells spread and form a new tumour in a different organ, the new tumor is a metastatic tumor, the cells of which come from the original tumor. The most common sites of metastasis from esophageal cancer tumors are the liver, lungs, bones and brain. Cancer can spread to other parts of the body, too.

Some people with metastatic cancer do not have symptoms. Their metastases may be found by tests, which may be performed for other reasons such as PET, MRI or CT scan. When symptoms do occur, the type and frequency depend on the size and location of the metastasis. For example, cancer that spreads to the bones is likely to cause pain and can lead to bone fractures. Shortness of breath may be a sign of lung involvement.

Liver metastasis

If they do have symptoms, they may be vague and can include:

• Loss of appetite or feeling full early
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Itching
• Pain in the abdomen
• Swelling in the legs
• Weight loss
• Yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, called jaundice

Lung metastasis

Because the lungs get blood flow from the rest of the body, cancer can travel there from other organs. Cancer that has spread to the lungs often affects breathing.

Symptoms include:

• A cough that doesn’t go away
• Chest pain
• Blood in the mucus
• Trouble breathing
• Weight loss

Bone metastasis

When cancer travels to the bones, it can weaken them and cause them to release stored calcium. Symptoms include:

• Bone pain
• Constipation, nausea, and loss of appetite from high calcium levels in the blood
• Broken bones
• Numbness or weakness in the legs and possibly the arms
• Pain in the back or neck

Are you suffering from pain?

Any cancer has only 4 treatments. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and pain relief treatment / pain management.

What is the stage of cancer? Stage decides the treatment. All advanced cancers cannot be treated by chemotherapy and / or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy / radiation therapy may not benefit in stage 4 cancer. Recent research tells that unnecessary chemotherapy may reduce quality & life span too. Pain is the most common problem in stage 3 or 4. Please remember Pain definitely can be controlled or treated at any stage of cancer. Even if you are taking ayurvedic treatment for cancer or homeopathic treatment, it will not help in pain relief – You must take pain management treatment. Pain relief is important for continuing any treatment. Pain relief needs dedicated pain management treatment usually offered by Pain specialist doctors. In addition to best cancer specialist, ACCN is proud to have best pain specialist doctor in Delhi and in India. Pain management and cancer treatment goes side by side. Demand a pain free cancer treatment.

One must always remember that in stage 3 / stage 4 / terminal cancer – palliative care and pain relief treatment is usually the priority treatment so that pain relief continues at home too.  Pain free journey of cancer ie pain free cancer treatment helps in prolongation of life.

Advanced-Cancer Care Network, Delhi, India, with its branches (contact) at Delhi and Rohtak (Haryana) is a unique conglomeration of super-specialist doctors, who believe in well-being of human life.  ACCN is the most advanced centre for stage 3 cancer, stage 4 cancer, advanced stage cancer, terminal cancer, Cancer pain management and palliative care. It offers the unique and state-of-the-art treatment for pain relief and cancer treatment in India.

Click on Pain relief in Food pipe Cancer to know the best pain management methods at home for food pipe cancer.

#wincancerpain

Palliative care

Palliative care is designed to give symptomatic relief to the patient, control the side-effects of illness or treatment and improve quality of life of cancer patients. Palliative care treatment is provided by a medical specialist, other than oncosurgeon or oncologist. This medical specialist is known as “Pain & Palliative Care Specialist”. India has very limited number of such specialists and if you are also not able to find one for yourself, please contact ACCN (Advanced – Cancer Care Network), we are proud to have India”s best and most qualified Pain Specialists and Palliative Care Specialists.

Click on Understanding palliative care to know the palliative care treatment for stage 3 cancer or stage 4 cancer or advanced stage cervical cancer.

Role of Palliative Care Treatment

It is usually said that role of palliative care starts, when cancer becomes incurable or advanced stage or terminal or at end-of-life. It is one of the biggest myths in cancer treatment protocols. Palliative care specialist must be consulted and involved in the cancer treatment right from the first day when cancer is diagnosed and treatment is started. Initially when cancer is at stage 1 or 2, complete focus is on cancer cure and palliative care has minimal but very important role. As the cancer (if) progresses, gradually role of palliative care also enlarges. In stage 3 or stage 4. role of palliative care becomes much more important than other regular cancer treatments.

Click on How we can help to know about our various services for advanced cancer patients.

Click on Symptom control to understand that how we can provide suffering free life to advanced cancer patient.

Benefits of Palliative Care

• Makes patient feel better and stay active during treatment
• Manages side-effects of cancer treatment
• Facilitates as high a quality of life as possible
• Helps cancer treatments do a better job
• Can be curative as well as life-supporting treatment
• Cancer diet planning
• Improves survival outcomes
• Increases immunity levels
• Improves communication between patient and family members
• Maintains hope and stick to principals of ethics