Cancer of the esophagus (esophageal cancer) often occurs in the mid-section location.
The reason why esophageal cancer develops well in the middle segment is very closely related to the characteristics of the disease itself. It is because there is a second narrowing in the middle section, seven centimeters below the entrance of the esophagus, which is located in the area where the left bronchial airway crosses the esophagus, equivalent to the level of the sternal angle or between the fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae, which is formed by the arch of the aorta passing through from the left side of the aorta and the left bronchial airway crossing from the anterior side of the esophagus, and this area is the easy storage place for the foreign bodies in the esophagus.
Symptoms of early esophageal cancer are not obvious, and there may be occasional discomfort, such as burning, pins and needles or friction pain behind the sternum, when swallowing hard and coarse food. Food passes through slowly with a sense of stagnation or foreign body sensation. The choking and stagnation sensation is often relieved or eliminated by drinking and swallowing. Symptoms may be mild or severe at times and progress slowly. Typical symptoms of middle and late stage esophageal cancer are progressive dysphagia, initially solid food is difficult to swallow, followed by semi-fluid food, and finally liquid cannot be swallowed. Patients gradually develop emaciation, dehydration and weakness.