Esophageal cancer is a common gastrointestinal tumor that kills about 300,000 people worldwide each year. Its incidence and mortality rates vary greatly from country to country. China is one of the regions with high incidence of esophageal cancer in the world, with an average of about 150,000 deaths per year. There are more men than women, and the age of onset is mostly above 40 years old.
Knowledge about esophagus.
The esophagus is a tube connecting the mouth and stomach and is about 30 cm. The walls of the esophagus have a strong muscular layer that pushes food into the stomach (pushing food backwards during vomiting). The mucosa of the upper part of the esophagus is similar to the oral mucosa, that is, it is squamous epithelium, which resembles the skin under the microscope; the lower 1/3 of the mucosa of the esophagus, the part leading to the stomach, is glandular epithelium.
At the part of the esophagus into the stomach, the muscles are well developed and prevent the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. As we age, this obstructive effect decreases, and gastric contents (including gastric acid)
This is called esophageal reflux, which can cause esophagitis in some people. This irritation can cause changes in the mucous membrane of esophagus in some people with the tendency of cancer.
Esophageal cancer etiology.
The population distribution of esophageal cancer is related to age, gender, occupation, race, region, living environment, diet and living habits, genetic susceptibility and so on. According to the available investigation data, esophageal cancer may be a disease caused by many factors. For example, lack of vitamins: lack of vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin C, inadequate intake of animal protein, fresh vegetables and fruits is a common feature of high incidence area of esophageal cancer; factors such as smoking, alcohol, hot food, hot drinks, unclean mouth, etc.: long-term drinking of strong alcohol, addiction to smoking, food that is too hard, too hot, eating too fast, causing chronic irritation, inflammation, trauma or unclean mouth, dental caries, etc. may be related to the occurrence of esophageal cancer. The occurrence of esophageal cancer is related.
Symptoms and problems to be noted.
A common symptom of esophageal cancer is difficulty or pain in swallowing. When swallowing food and water, it often feels as if the swallow has not gone down, as if it is stuck somewhere – this is a very important symptom. If there is pain, it is mostly a dull or sharp pain, and pain behind the sternum is felt after swallowing. Of course, esophagitis caused by food reflux is also often painful, so not everyone with this symptom has esophageal cancer. However, if you have pain and difficulty swallowing, you must tell your doctor so that he or she can determine your condition. If the tumor is located in the upper part of the esophagus, you may feel pain in the throat.
Weight loss is another symptom. Patients with esophageal cancer lose weight because it affects eating. In some patients, the tumor affects the nerves that innervate the vocal cords, causing hoarseness. Some tumors can bleed, causing hemoptysis. Esophagotracheal fistula is a common complication in patients with advanced esophageal cancer.