Esophageal cancer is generally divided into three stages: early, middle and late. If we say which stage has the best treatment effect, we can tell you for sure that it is certainly early stage. Early stage malignant tumor has not spread, which provides a favorable condition. The further it develops, the more difficult it is to cure esophageal cancer, so we should have timely examination and treatment when it appears in early stage in any case.
The cure rate of esophageal cancer can usually reach 80% if it can be detected in early stage and receive timely treatment. Thus, it can be seen that regular disease screening for healthy people to achieve early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of tumor is the most effective tumor prevention and treatment measure recognized internationally.
The proliferation cycle of normal esophageal epithelial cells is the longest in the human digestive tract. It takes about 1~2 years for the process of esophageal basal cells from heavy hyperplasia to carcinoma; it usually takes 2~3 years or even longer for early stage esophageal cancer (cancer cells are found in cytological examination, but normal or only mild lesions in X-ray esophageal mucosal imaging) to become advanced invasive cancer; individual cases can even “survive with cancer” for 6 years. Some cases can even “survive with cancer” for more than 6 years. Therefore, the early treatment of esophageal cancer is effective. Even if the disease is advanced, if treated properly, it can be transformed for the better. Generally speaking, surgery is appropriate for early stage lesions; for late stage lesions and those located in the middle or upper part of the esophagus with high youth or with contraindications to surgery, radiation therapy is preferred.
Treatment methods of esophageal cancer
1.Surgical treatment
(1) Large-scale surgery: Surgery is the first choice for early esophageal cancer treatment. Once diagnosed, patients with esophageal cancer should be treated by surgery once their physical conditions allow. According to the condition, there are two kinds of surgery: palliative surgery and radical surgery. Palliative surgery is mainly used for patients who cannot be cured at advanced stage or after radiotherapy, such as esophageal gastric diversion, gastrostomy and esophageal intubation to solve feeding difficulties.
Radical surgery depends on the location of the lesion and the specific situation of the patient. In principle, most of the esophagus should be removed, and the esophageal resection area should be at least 5 cm from the tumor. The surgical resection rate of lower segment cancer is 90%, middle segment cancer is 50%, and upper segment cancer is 56.3%-92.9% on average.
The contraindications to surgery are
(1) Clinical X-ray examination confirms extensive esophageal lesions and involvement of adjacent organs, such as trachea, lung, mediastinum, aorta, etc.
(2) Those with severe cardiopulmonary or hepatic and renal insufficiency or cachexia who cannot tolerate surgery.
(2) Minor surgical treatment: It is generally clinically recommended that patients with advanced disease (patients who can barely swallow) undergo stenting, a minor surgery in which a very small stent is placed into the lesion site, propped open, and the esophagus is expanded
(ps: instantly open will be very painful), in order to achieve the patient can eat, but this can only short-term extension of life, suitable for patients who can not do surgical removal, the price is about 1W, the place is not the same price is different, if the family economic conditions allow, this method can extend a certain period of life.
2.Radiation therapy
The indications of radiation therapy for esophageal cancer are wider, except for esophageal perforation forming esophageal fistula, distant metastasis, obvious malignant mass, serious heart, lung and liver diseases, all are feasible for radiation therapy.
Indications.
(1)The general condition of the patient is above moderate;
(2) The length of the lesion should not exceed 8 cm;
(3) No supraclavicular lymph node metastasis, no vocal cord paralysis, no distant metastasis;
(4) Can eat a semi-liquid or general diet;
(5) No preperforation signs, no significant chest and back pain;
(6) There should be cytological or pathological diagnosis, especially superficial type esophageal cancer.
Since esophageal cancer disease can be treated in a very serious way, patients should be prepared psychologically and be able to develop good treatment methods according to their own condition and related status, only by preparing in all aspects can we provide certain help for the recovery treatment.