After endoscopic treatment for early-stage esophageal cancer, you will need to stay in the hospital for observation, resume your diet, and rehabilitate. The general “timeline” after treatment looks like this:
After endoscopic treatment for early-stage esophageal cancer, you will need to stay in the hospital for observation, resume your diet, and rehabilitate. The general “timeline” after treatment looks like this:
Anesthesia is required for the endoscopic resection. After surgery, your doctor will resuscitate you with anesthesia. Hospitals that have the ability to do so will generally have a dedicated resuscitation area where you will be cared for and your vital signs, such as blood pressure, pulse, and respiration, will be closely monitored until you are conscious. The doctor will also observe your head, neck, and chest for subcutaneous emphysema, and if necessary, perform blood tests and chest radiographs.
Endoscopic non-excisional treatment also requires anesthesia, but the treatment and resuscitation can usually be done on an outpatient basis.
The first 24 hours after endoscopic treatment are the most likely time period for complications and should be closely monitored for changes in symptoms and signs. Common complications include bleeding and perforation.
Tell your doctor if you experience unexplained chest pain, abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting blood, or black stool. Your doctor will use chest and abdominal X-rays, ultrasound, and CT exams to find the cause and manage it. If bleeding from the surgical wound is suspected after examination, the doctor will also perform an endoscopy at the first opportunity to find the bleeding site and stop the bleeding.
Usually detected during surgery, the surgeon will immediately aspirate the gas and fluid from the esophagus and close the perforation promptly under endoscopy. After surgery, your surgeon will also treat you with gastrointestinal decompression, administer fasting and anti-inflammatory therapy, and closely monitor your chest and abdominal signs.
Sometimes, however, conservative treatment may not work and the perforation reappears, or “late perforation,” as it is called in medical terms. You may have an elevated temperature and increased abdominal pain, so tell your doctor right away. He will surgically close the perforation. If your hospital is good enough, you can also have a minimally invasive laparoscopic exploration to repair the perforation.
In addition, your doctor may put you on acid suppressants, mucosal protectants, antibiotics, etc. to prevent acid reflux, infection, etc.
Complications such as bleeding and delayed perforation can occur up to 24 hours after endoscopic resection. After 24 hours, if you do not experience any of these conditions, you can be discharged.
Complications from endoscopic non-excisional treatment are relatively rare and generally do not require special management. Also, some hospitals can do it on an outpatient basis, and you can go home the same day after treatment.
1. On the first day after treatment, you will need to abstain from food and water, and infuse nutritional fluids through intravenous rehydration. If the surgical resection surface is large, or if a metal clip was used to close a small perforation during surgery, the food and water fast will be extended as appropriate.
2. If clinical manifestations and blood pressure and other indicators are not abnormal, liquid food such as oral nutrition solution, milk, rice soup, lotus root powder, egg flower soup, yogurt, soy milk, vegetable soup, fresh fruit juice and various meat soups can be introduced on day 2 after treatment.
3. On the 3rd day after treatment, a semi-liquid soft food such as thin porridge, rotten noodles, noodle soup, wontons, steamed egg custard, tofu brain, fruit puree, vegetable puree, meat froth, etc. can be eaten, but green vegetable food is not recommended. The temperature of the diet needs to be slightly above room temperature, and do not consume boiling hot tea or hot food.
4. Patients who have undergone endoscopic non-excisional treatment can start a normal diet after 1 week on a semi-liquid diet if they feel no particular discomfort.
Patients who have undergone endoscopic resection can also return to a normal diet 1 month after the wound has largely healed.
The daily diet is based on the following principles: small, frequent meals, more vegetables and fruits, appropriate supplementation of meat and eggs, and soft, fine, light and easy to digest food. Chew and swallow slowly when you eat.
5. Do not drink alcohol for two months after surgery. It is also best not to drink alcohol after two months.
Patients who undergo endoscopic non-excisional treatment do not need special rehabilitation exercises after treatment. After a short break, you can start exercising as usual, following your previous exercise habits.
Patients who undergo endoscopic resection need to be aware of:
Co-written by:
Wang Police, Endoscopy Center, Peking University Cancer Hospital