Hoarseness may occur in everyone’s life, and because the symptoms are mild and not taken seriously, many people often choose to drink some herbal tea or take some anti-inflammatory drugs. In fact, hoarseness is not as simple as we think. If the symptoms do not improve after two weeks of conventional treatment, but are progressively aggravated, and there is difficulty in swallowing and foreign body sensation, you should seek medical attention in time to find the cause and exclude the possibility of esophageal cancer. Mr. Peng is 48 years old and loves to drink kung fu tea and boiling porridge. Last month, his voice suddenly became hoarse. He thought it might be a cold and took some anti-inflammatory drugs and cold medicine, but his voice did not improve, but became heavier and heavier. After examination in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, doctors diagnosed him with esophageal cancer and determined that the hoarseness was caused by esophageal cancer, and performed the radical surgery for him in time. Zhang Lixi, director of thoracic surgery of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, introduced that hoarseness is the result of vocal cord paralysis, which is caused by cold and cold or vocal cord diseases, but also by damage or compression of the laryngeal nerve that governs vocal cord activities. For example, tumors in the esophagus, lungs and mediastinum sometimes invade and compress the laryngeal nerve, causing paralysis of the vocal cords and thus hoarseness. For hoarseness caused by general inflammation of the throat, most of them can be basically improved or recovered within two weeks, but not for hoarseness caused by tumors. Choking sensation and foreign body sensation are early symptoms Zhang Lixi reminded that the main symptom of most patients with esophageal cancer is difficulty in swallowing, while it is extremely rare for patients with esophageal cancer to have hoarseness as the first symptom, so it is often overlooked and easily misdiagnosed, thus delaying treatment. Therefore, if hoarseness does not improve after two weeks of conventional treatment, but worsens progressively, and there are symptoms such as difficulty in swallowing and foreign body sensation, or pain in the chest and back when swallowing, one must be alert and go to a regular hospital for further diagnosis and treatment in time to rule out whether it is caused by lymph node metastasis of esophageal cancer that involves the laryngeal nerve. Zhang Lixi also reminds that don’t ignore the early symptoms of esophageal cancer. He pointed out that although the early stage of esophageal cancer is insidious and the symptoms are mild, it is not difficult to find if you can observe carefully. Common early symptoms of esophageal cancer include the following five categories: choking sensation: choking sensation or stagnant sensation when eating, often related to food, which can disappear on its own and reappear at intervals with progressive aggravation. Pain behind the sternum: pain occurs when food is swallowed, and the patient can name the exact location of the pain behind the sternum, which can be burning, pinching or pulling in nature. Foreign body sensation: Discomfort in swallowing or foreign body sensation in the esophagus, as if there is food adhering to the esophageal wall, unable to swallow, unable to vomit, recurring and gradually aggravated. Dryness and tightness in the pharynx: The patient feels tightness and dryness in the throat, sometimes accompanied by slight pain. Pain under the glabella or epigastric region: it may be burning-like stabbing pain. Esophageal cancer is a lifestyle disease and can be prevented Esophageal cancer has been one of the most dominant digestive tract tumors in China, which is generally more prevalent in people over 40 years old and higher in men than women. “Esophageal cancer is actually a lifestyle disease.” Zhang Lixi said that research shows that the occurrence of esophageal cancer is closely related to the patient’s living and eating habits and other factors, and patients generally have characteristics such as long-term smoking, drinking, preference for hot food, excessive intake of pickled food, consumption of moldy food, lack of dietary nutrition and lack of trace elements. The incidence of esophageal cancer is not uncommon in rural areas, and the incidence rate is higher in the rural areas of Guangdong, east and west of Guangdong. Therefore, in order to stay away from esophageal cancer, we must start from the details of life. For example, do not eat food that is too hot; quit smoking and limit alcohol; do not eat too much meat because of its high fat content, but eat more fish and shrimp to meet the body’s demand for protein; foods such as pickled vegetables and salted meat contain carcinogenic nitrite and should be eaten sparingly; foods such as moldy rice, noodles and peanuts contain carcinogenic aflatoxin and should not be eaten; foods such as smoked fish, meat and sausages contain carcinogenic smoke tar and should be eaten sparingly. Diet should be balanced, and not to be greedy for cheap and buy not fresh vegetables and fruits to eat.