The early symptoms of esophageal cancer are relatively mild and are very similar to chronic pharyngitis, both manifesting as discomfort in the throat, foreign body sensation and difficulty swallowing. Let’s focus on the differences between early symptoms of esophageal cancer and chronic pharyngitis:
- Pharyngeal discomfort: When esophageal cancer has not yet developed dysphagia, the pharynx is mostly dry.
- Pharyngeal discomfort: When esophageal cancer has not yet developed dysphagia, the pharynx is mostly dry, while the symptoms of pharyngitis are frequent coughing, especially when using the voice excessively, sudden climate change or inhaling dry and cold air, as well as after smoking and drinking;
- Difficulty in swallowing:Difficulty in swallowing is the most common symptom of esophageal cancer, characterized by foreign body sensation when swallowing, often accompanied by pain and burning sensation behind the sternum. The dysphagia in esophageal cancer is progressively aggravated, that is as time goes by, the symptom performance becomes more and more severe, first it is difficult to swallow dry and rough food (such as rice, etc.), then it is difficult to swallow semi-liquid food (such as rice porridge, soup noodles, etc.), and finally it will appear that even water and saliva cannot be swallowed. And the foreign body sensation in the pharynx and dysphagia of pharyngitis are evident when not eating and may disappear when eating.
However, it may still be difficult for you to distinguish the subtle differences in symptoms between the two. If you have symptoms such as throat discomfort or foreign body sensation, it is recommended that you seek medical attention and ask your doctor to help you determine this. If your doctor thinks, after taking a medical history and physical examination, that esophageal cancer is more likely, he or she will make a differential diagnosis by upper gastrointestinal imaging, endoesophageal straining, gastroscopy, CT, MRI, etc.