What is esophageal cancer and how is it treated?

• What is esophageal cancer?
• Eduin Caz was recently diagnosed with the disease.
• Learn the symptoms and causes of esophageal cancer.

In recent days, following Eduin Caz’s announcement about his cancer diagnosis, questions have arisen as to what exactly esophageal cancer is and whether it can be cured.

As its name implies, this condition occurs in the esophagus — a long, hollow tube that runs from the throat to the stomach.

The function of this tube is to help move food from the back of the throat to the stomach so it can be digested.

But this type of cancer starts in the cells that line the inside of the esophagus and can occur anywhere along it.

Risk factors and symptoms

It should be noted that this condition affects men more than women, in addition to being the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths in the world.

It is mainly linked to the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, as well as certain eating habits and obesity.

Symptoms of esophageal cancer include cough or hoarseness, difficulty swallowing (known as dysphagia) and weight loss.

Also, there are can be pain, pressure or burning in the chest and heartburn or indigestion.

Types of esophageal cancer

What is esophageal cancer?

There are different types, which depend on the kind of cells involved.

Finding out what type of esophageal cancer you have will allow your doctor to come up with a treatment plan.

The types of esophageal cancer are: adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and other rare ones, such as sarcoma and lymphoma.

Some causes of esophageal cancer

It is believed that chronic irritation of the esophagus contributes to the changes that cause esophageal cancer.

This could be caused by radiation therapy treatments to the chest or upper abdomen as well as acid reflux or GERD.

Smoking and precancerous changes in the cells of the esophagus, known as Barrett’s esophagus, are linked to this type of cancer.

Finally, obesity, alcohol consumption, bile reflux, achalasia, regularly drinking very hot liquids and not consuming enough fruits and vegetables are possible causes.

Possible complications

According the Mayo Clinic, if esophageal cancer progresses, some complications may occur.

One of them is esophageal bleeding, although it is usually gradual, it can sometimes occur suddenly and intensely.

Another complication is obstruction of the esophagus, as the cancer can make it difficult for food and liquid to pass through.

Finally, advanced esophageal cancer, like other types of cancer, causes a lot of pain.

What is esophageal cancer: Ways to reduce risk

It’s not all bad news. There are several measures you can take to reduce the risk of contracting this type of cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic.

One of them is to avoid smoking at all costs, but if you smoke, ask for professional help to quit.

If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation. For women, that’s a maximum one drink per day and for men, no more than two.

Eat fruits and vegetables and maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight or obese also ask for help from health professionals.