Esophageal Cancer: Disease Overview
Esophageal cancer is a difficult diagnosis to receive. You’re likely dealing with a lot of questions, uncertainty, and emotions as you consider treatment options. This guide aims to break down those options, and provide some guidance when it comes to living with esophageal cancer.
The disease causes cancer cells to form in the tissues of the esophagus, a hollow, muscular tube that food and liquid move through when traveling from the throat to the stomach. The wall of the esophagus is made of up several layers of tissue; cancer begins on the inside lining and spreads to the outer layers of the esophagus as it grows.
It can be very difficult to treat because in many cases, the disease is diagnosed at a later stage.
“Esophageal cancer, we know is a tough one,” Dr. Brendon Stiles, a thoracic surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center, told SurvivorNet. “It’s one of the cancers with some of the lowest cure rates out there, but like many cancers, if we find it early, we can often treat it effectively—either with surgery, with surgery and chemotherapy, or with chemotherapy and radiation.”
Symptoms
Unfortunately, symptoms of esophageal cancer can be a bit vague, so those experiencing them may not think cancer right away. Still, it’s important to be aware of signs of this disease, which include:
- Pain/difficulty swallowing
- Weight loss
- Pain behind the breastbone
- Hoarseness/cough
- Indigestion/heartburn
- A lump under the skin
“Try to get diagnosed early,” Dr. Stiles said. “For esophageal cancer, that means getting screened, getting endoscopies if you have any symptoms. The problem with esophageal cancer is it can mimic a lot of other things. You lose a little weight, have a little trouble swallowing, have a little heartburn — those are tough symptoms to pin down sometimes and often leads to patients with esophageal cancer presenting with later disease.”
Dr. Brendon Stiles explains the signs and symptoms of esophageal cancer.
Diagnosing esophageal cancer
Several tests may be used when diagnosing a patient with esophageal cancer. These include:
- Physical exam/health history – An exam of the body to check for general signs of health as well as signs that may indicate disease
- Chest X-ray – An X-ray of the organs and bones in the chest
- Upper endoscopy – A test that allows doctors to examine the walls of the esophagus using a small camera that is attached to a thin tube and passed down the patient’s throat
Other tests may be used as well to help get an accurate diagnosis. The upper endoscopy is particularly important because it helps your doctor to clearly see if there are any abnormalities in the wall of your esophagus.
Dr. Whit Burrows, a thoracic surgeon with the University of Maryland Medical System, explains what happens during an endoscopy.
Usually if a suspected esophageal cancer is found during an imaging test or an endoscopy, it will be biopsied, which means your doctor will remove a small piece of tissue using a cutting instrument that is passed though the scope. That will then be tested.