Esophageal cancer is a common gastrointestinal malignancy, ranking sixth in incidence and fourth in mortality of all tumors. Delays in access to care are common clinically, with delays of 3 months or more. Some studies point to the absence of a health care worker in the family as one of the reasons for delayed access to care, a side note that the public is still unfamiliar with esophageal cancer.
A direct consequence of delayed access to care is that early stage is delayed to late stage, and stage is directly related to prognosis. If symptoms such as unexplained dysphagia and retrosternal pain persist for a week or two without relief, it is important to be alert and seek medical attention as soon as possible.
So, how do we seek medical attention when we suspect esophageal cancer?
How do I choose a hospital and what department to see?
You should choose a qualified and regular hospital for medical treatment, and choose an oncology specialty hospital if possible. Due to the size of the hospital and the set-up of the departments in each region, you can see a gastroenterologist, medical oncologist or thoracic surgeon.
What should I do to prepare for my visit?
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1. Avoid holiday visits. Hospitals also have a vacation system, and on holidays there may be only emergency care, and many ancillary tests and exams cannot be done, so try not to choose a holiday to visit the hospital to avoid both wasting time and not completing the visit well.
2. Bring all the information to your appointment. When you visit the hospital, bring information from previous visits (e.g., outpatient medical records, blood test reports, etc.) and, as a special reminder, bring films from imaging tests (e.g., radiographs, CT, PET-CT, etc.) rather than just a paper report.
3. A fasting visit is recommended. The most important tests to confirm the diagnosis of esophageal cancer are upper gastrointestinal imaging and electronic gastroscopy, both of which require fasting, that is, fasting and abstaining from food and water 6 to 8 hours before the test.
What questions might the doctor ask?
What questions might the doctor ask?
At the time of your visit, your doctor will usually ask “what is wrong with you” and then ask questions around your symptoms, such as:
- Have you had difficulty swallowing? When did it start? Is it getting worse? What kind of food can you eat now? Is regular food completely inaccessible? Can you eat liquid food? Can I swallow water?
- Are there any retrosternal pains and when did they appear? Did it get worse?
- Are there any vomiting symptoms? Is it vomiting after eating? Was the vomit freshly eaten food? Do you vomit when you haven’t eaten? What is the shape of the vomit? Is there no white mucus?
- Was there any significant weight loss after the onset of symptoms of discomfort? What was the approximate change in weight over a week or two?
- Any history of other diseases, such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, etc.? Are there any infectious diseases such as tuberculosis or hepatitis? Has there been any previous trauma? What surgery has been done? Any allergies to any foods or items?
How do I properly describe my condition to my doctor?
The clinic is full of patients and the doctor has a limited amount of time to see each patient, so it is best to be concise in your answers to what the doctor asks. For example:
The doctor asks: What’s wrong?
You should answer like this: I’ve been choking when I swallow for about a month now, and it’s getting worse.
This saves time and gives an accurate description of the condition. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have a good idea of what you are doing. …this is a complete waste of your precious time.
With this initial understanding of the esophageal cancer consultation process, I hope you will pay attention and seek early medical attention to avoid delaying the disease and delaying treatment.