The first impression many people have of cancer is that it is painful. So, is esophageal cancer painful?
Esophageal cancer does cause some pain during the disease and treatment, but there are ways for your doctor to ease the pain and improve your quality of life.
Why does esophageal cancer hurt?
1. Pain caused by the cancer itself
Pain is caused when cancer cells destroy the structure of the esophageal wall, or cause deep ulcers, or cause esophagitis, mediastinitis, and inflammation of organs and tissues around the lesion. When the disease is advanced and the cancer cells have metastasized, the organs and tissues that have been metastasized to can also become painful.
2. Pain caused by anti-cancer treatment
After surgery, pain can occur during the healing process of the incision. Some people also need radiation therapy or chemotherapy, and these treatments can also cause pain.
3. Pain from diagnostics, tests
Some invasive tests can cause pain, such as puncture biopsies and gastroscopies. You still have to tolerate this pain in order to get accurate test results.
Site characteristics of esophageal cancer pain
Early stage esophageal cancer often causes pain behind the sternum when swallowing food; high (cervical) esophageal cancer pain is in the neck; lower esophageal cancer is in the chest or upper abdomen. In the late stage, patients often experience heavy, dull pain in the anterior chest, back, and scapula.
After a tumor has caused esophageal obstruction, spasm of the esophagus above the obstruction site, irritation of the cancerous ulcer, and local dilatation of the esophageal lumen as food passes through the cancerous site and contraction of the muscular tissue of the esophageal wall can all cause chest or chest and back pain, which may also spread to the back or neck. At this point, it generally indicates that the invasion of cancer in the esophageal wall is quite serious. When a tumor in the esophagus invades the intercostal nerve or retroperitoneal nerve, you may have persistent, severe pain in your chest and back that may even interfere with sleep.
What should I do if I have pain?
When you have pain, your healthcare provider will find a way to help you relieve it.
1. Active coughing to relieve wound pain
After surgery, if you experience pain at the incision site, your caregiver can use both hands to gently press on the wound and ask you to initiate a cough near the end of a deep inhalation. Even if the pain is not severe, your healthcare provider will come to your bedside regularly to help you sit up, tap on your back, and help you cough effectively, which is an effective measure to prevent postoperative complications.
2. Medications for pain relief
You can use a number of pain medications under the guidance of your doctor. Mild pain can be relieved with paracetamol, aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen, anti-inflammatory pain, indomethacin, etc. If the pain is difficult to be relieved, the doctor will use the “stepwise pain relief” method and choose the appropriate medication according to the specific situation. It is important to note that long-term use of painkillers may lead to dependence, so it is not recommended that you or your family buy them yourself. If you are experiencing pain, please don’t just put up with it, but tell your doctor for help.
3. Psychological care
Psychological factors play a big role in how pain is felt. Therefore, the medical staff will provide you with psychological care and health education to help you reduce your worries about the disease and prognosis and eliminate your fear and anxiety about pain. During the recovery process after going home, it is recommended that your family provide you with a good and comfortable recovery environment, and usually play some relaxing music to relieve the nervous and depressed psychology.