Oesophageal Cancer - Medtick
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Oesophageal Cancer

What is it?

Cancer of the oesophagus (food pipe, where food is carried from the throat to the stomach).

  • The condition affects men more than women mainly of ages greater than 55 years old.

There are mainly two forms of cancer:

Squamous cell carcinoma

  • Mutation of  the squamous cells and hence lead to cancer/tumour in oesophagus (the majority of the oesophagus is lined with these cells).

Adenocarcinoma

  • Mutation of  the columnar cells (the area at the bottom of the oesophagus, and where the oesophagus joins the stomach)

Cause

Syndromes

Medication

Vitamins, herbals and minerals

Symptoms

(Occur mainly when cancer lump has become larger or has spread to other nearby parts of the body)

  • Pain and difficulty swallowing?
  • Hoarseness or croaky voice?
  • Coughing up blood?
  • Swollen lymph glands and/or reoccurring mouth ulcers?
  • Short of breath?
  • Abdominal pain and/or are constant violently vomiting or vomiting longer than two days (one day if a child)?
  • Feel full quickly when eating trapped wind and burping  (‘foul rotten egg smell’)?
  • Long term persistent indigestion, frequent heartburn or constant abdominal pain?
  • Stomach lumps?
  • Sore throat longer than three days or more?
  • Dry cough longer than three weeks?
  • General discomfort (muscle weakness), uneasiness or ill feeling (malaise) and/or fatigue (tiredness)?
  • Unexplained weight loss?
  • Unknown lumps or swellings on any part of body?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Do not wait, phone for ambulance if have or develop:

  • Shortness of breath (Aspirated pneumonia)
  • Non-stop Hiccups (oesophageal tumour invades the phrenic nerve or diaphragm. Irritation of these structures causes these repeated contractions of the diaphragm)
  • Black tarry stools (Old blood from oesophagus tumour  has passed through stomach and intestine and excreted with faeces)
  • Swollen lymph nodes

This condition can lead to:

  • Excess saliva and drooling

This condition can cause the symptom:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Oesophageal Cancer in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

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