Esophageal cancer is a common digestive tract tumor, and a large number of patients die of it every year all over the world. The following is a detailed introduction to esophageal cancer: 1. Causes of morbidity The causes of morbidity of esophageal cancer are more complex, which may involve the following aspects: 1. Eating habits: Long-term consumption of too hot, too cold or spicy food, as well as salted products or overnight dishes, may lead to excessive intake of nitrite, aflatoxin and other substances in the body. These substances have certain carcinogenicity and may cause esophageal mucosal lesions, thus causing esophageal cancer. 2. Living habits: Long-term smoking, excessive drinking and other bad habits may cause esophageal mucosa to be stimulated by tobacco and alcohol, causing esophageal mucosa congestion and ulceration, easily causing esophageal mucosal lesions, thus causing esophageal cancer. 3. Chronic esophageal diseases: Reflux esophagitis, esophageal diverticulum and other chronic esophageal diseases may lead to inflammatory hyperplasia of esophageal mucosa, and long-term inflammatory stimulation may cause malignant transformation of hyperplasia, thus causing esophageal cancer. 4. Nutritional factors: Lack of nutrients such as trace elements or vitamins may also lead to esophageal cancer. 5. Genetic factors: People with esophageal cancer in their families may have an increased risk of esophageal cancer in their offspring.
2. Symptoms The symptoms of esophageal cancer are gradually aggravated with the development of the disease. Typical symptoms include: 1. Dysphagia: Esophageal cancer can lead to stenosis or blockage of the esophageal lumen, leading to dysphagia, first difficult to swallow dry food, then semi-liquid food, and finally water and saliva can not be swallowed. 2. Cough and hemoptysis: When esophageal cancer spreads to the upper part of the esophagus or non-lungs, it can compress the trachea or bronchus, causing cough, expiratory dyspnoea and hemoptysis. 3. Hoarseness: Malignant tumors of esophageal cancer can compress the throat or recurrent laryngeal nerve, resulting in hoarseness or loss of voice. 4. Chest pain: Esophageal cancer invades adjacent structures, such as pleura and pancreas, which can cause chest pain. 5. Weight loss and anorexia: Dysphagia caused by esophageal cancer can lead to inadequate food intake, which can lead to weight loss, weight loss and anorexia. 6. Nausea and vomiting: Esophageal cancer blocks the esophageal passage, resulting in food in the stomach can not be smoothly discharged, causing nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. 7. Acid reflux and heartburn: Some patients with esophageal cancer may have acid reflux and heartburn, which is caused by impaired function of the esophageal sphincter and reflux of gastric acid into the esophagus. In addition, in the early stage of esophageal cancer, there may be foreign body sensation when swallowing food, distension or slight pain behind the sternum, slight pain in the heart pit or under the xiphoid process, stagnation or frustration of swallowing. These symptoms are often easily overlooked, so we should be vigilant.
3. Treatment methods The treatment of esophageal cancer needs to adopt the principle of individualized comprehensive treatment, that is, according to the patient’s body condition, the pathological type of the tumor, the scope of invasion (disease stage) and the development trend, the existing treatment methods should be applied in a planned and reasonable way. The main treatment methods include: 1. Surgical treatment: is one of the main radical means of esophageal cancer. 2. Surgical treatment for early patients can achieve the purpose of radical cure; in the middle and late stages, through comprehensive treatment based on surgery, some patients can achieve radical cure, and other patients can prolong their lives. Routine thoracotomy or thoracoscopy assisted esophagectomy plus lymph node dissection is the routine surgical method at present. 2. Radiotherapy: It is an important part of the comprehensive treatment of esophageal cancer. For patients with advanced esophageal cancer, preoperative radiotherapy combined with surgery or radical radiotherapy and chemotherapy can improve the survival of patients. 3. Chemotherapy: including neoadjuvant chemotherapy, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy and palliative chemotherapy. Chemotherapeutic drugs such as 5-fu, taxanes, camptothecins, gemcitabine and vinorelbine can inhibit the growth of tumor cells and achieve the purpose of treatment. 4. Targeted therapy: In recent years, molecular targeted drug therapy has gradually become an important means for the treatment of malignant tumors. For example, EGFR-TKI drugs have shown some efficacy in the second-line treatment of metastatic esophageal cancer. 5. Immunotherapy: Tumor immunotherapy is a method to prevent and treat malignant tumors by regulating the immune status of the body. Immunotherapy, such as cytokines, tumor vaccines, adoptive cell therapy (ACT) and immune checkpoint blockers, has shown good efficacy in clinical application.
The following measures can be taken to
prevent esophageal cancer: 1. Quit smoking and limit alcohol: Nicotine and alcohol in tobacco can stimulate the gastric mucosa and increase the risk of esophageal cancer. It is recommended that men smoke no more than five cigarettes a day, women do not smoke, and try to reduce alcohol intake. 2. Reasonable diet: pay attention to a balanced diet, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, eat less pickled, barbecue and other foods. Avoid eating too hot food for a long time so as not to damage the esophageal mucosa. 3. Supplement vitamins and trace elements: Adequate vitamins and trace elements help to maintain health, improve resistance and reduce the occurrence of diseases. It can be satisfied by eating foods rich in these nutrients, such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, fish and so on. 4. Regular screening: Regular examination of esophageal cancer can detect lesions early and improve the therapeutic effect and survival rate. It is suggested that people over 40 years old should have esophageal X-ray examination and endoscopy at least once a year. 5. Avoid exposure to carcinogens: For people with known carcinogenic risk factors, measures should be taken to reduce exposure to the corresponding substances, such as using filters to purify the air.
5. Survival rate There are some individual differences in the survival rate of esophageal cancer, which are related to clinical stages, treatment methods and other factors. The 5-year survival rate of patients with early esophageal cancer is usually 80% ~ 90%, and the survival time of patients with advanced esophageal cancer is about 1 ~ 2 years. Therefore, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of esophageal cancer should be carried out to prolong the survival time of patients and improve their quality of life. The following is a detailed analysis of the survival rate of esophageal cancer:
1. Early esophageal cancer Early esophageal cancer is confined to mucosa and submucosa, mainly by surgical resection and lymph node dissection, which can basically achieve the goal of radical cure. According to the pathological type, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy can reduce recurrence and metastasis. The 5-year survival rate of early esophageal cancer is usually 80% ~ 90%, and some patients can even achieve a higher survival rate.
2. Medium-term esophageal cancer has spread to the outer layer of the esophagus or surrounding lymph nodes, and the 5-year relative survival rate is about 20% to 30%. At this time, it is often necessary to combine surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy for comprehensive treatment. If patients with mid-term esophageal cancer can receive radical surgical treatment, and the postoperative pathology confirms that it is mid-term, then chemotherapy and radiotherapy are still needed to improve the survival rates and reduce the recurrence rate. After standardized treatment, the survival period can reach more than three or five years. However, for patients who can not be treated by surgery, comprehensive treatment of radiotherapy and chemotherapy should be adopted, and the survival time may be relatively short.
3. The survival rate of patients with advanced esophageal cancer is low, and the 5-year survival rate is about 10%. At this time, cancer cells have spread to distant organs or lymph nodes, making treatment more difficult. Although the prognosis of advanced esophageal cancer is poor, some patients can prolong their survival time and improve their quality of life through comprehensive treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
4. Factors affecting survival In addition to clinical staging and treatment, the survival rate of esophageal cancer is also affected by the following factors: 1. Overall health status of patients: Patients who are younger and in better health usually tolerate treatment better and may have a higher survival rate. 2. Living habits: Maintaining good living habits, such as smoking cessation, alcohol restriction and reasonable diet, can help reduce the recurrence risk of esophageal cancer and improve the survival rate. 3. Psychological state: Positive attitude and optimistic mood can help patients better cope with the challenges in the course of disease and treatment, thereby improving survival rate.
5. Summary The survival rate of esophageal cancer varies with individual differences, but early detection and treatment are the key to improve the survival rate. Therefore, it is suggested that people should have regular examinations for esophageal cancer in order to detect the lesions early and take appropriate treatment measures. At the same time, maintaining good living habits and positive attitude can also help to improve the survival rate of patients with esophageal cancer.
The symptoms of
esophageal cancer usually appear gradually with the progress of the disease, and may vary from individual to individual. Here are some common symptoms of esophageal cancer:
1. Dysphagia: This is the most common symptom of esophageal cancer. Patients may find it difficult for food to pass through the esophagus, especially when eating solid food. As the condition worsens, even liquids may be difficult to swallow. 2. Chest or back pain: Esophageal cancer may cause chest or back pain, especially when swallowing. This pain may be caused by tumor compression or invasion of surrounding tissue. 3. Weight loss: Due to dysphagia, patients may not be able to take in enough nutrients, resulting in weight loss. 4. Cough or expiratory dyspnoea: If esophageal cancer invades the trachea or bronchus, patients may have symptoms such as cough, expiratory dyspnoea or hoarseness. 5. Vomiting: Esophageal cancer may cause food to be retained in the esophagus, which in turn causes vomiting. 6. Reflux or heartburn: Esophageal cancer may cause stomach acid to reflux into the esophagus, causing heartburn. 7. Throat discomfort or foreign body sensation: Patients may feel foreign body sensation or discomfort in the throat, especially when swallowing. It should be noted that these symptoms are not specific manifestations of esophageal cancer, but may also be related to other esophageal diseases (such as esophagitis, esophageal stenosis, etc.). Therefore, if these symptoms occur, they should seek medical treatment in time for professional examination in order to make accurate diagnosis. In addition, the early symptoms of esophageal cancer may not be obvious, so regular esophageal cancer screening is essential for early detection and treatment. If you have high risk factors for esophageal cancer (such as long-term smoking, drinking, bad eating habits, etc.), regular examinations are recommended.
