Oesophageal Cancer-I

Oesophagus is the medical term used for the gullet. it is an important part of the digestive system and is responsible for carrying food from the throat to the stomach. It is a long tube that starts from behind the trachea and goes down between the heart and the spine through the chest.
Cancer takes place when the cells of the body multiply abnormally, forming a tumour, which can either be malignant (cancerous) or benign (non – cancerous).
Oesophageal Cancer is of two types:
Squamous cell carcinoma – this takes place in the upper area of the gullet when the cells on the inner layer of it tend to multiply in an unusual way.
Adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus – this takes place in the lower part of the gullet when the cells in the mucous glands multiply in an abnormal way.
Symptoms of oesophageal cancer
The initial stage of cancer hardly causes any symptoms, as the tumour is very small in size. Once the cancer starts developing, the symptoms develop too. Some of the main symptoms of oesophageal cancer are:
Dysphagia (difficulties in swallowing) – this is faced when tumour is relatively large enough to squeeze the oesophagus to half its width. After a certain point of time, it gets difficult even to swallow liquids.
Unintentional weight loss – due to the food not reaching the stomach, you may experience weight loss.
Coughing – you tend to cough more while swallowing
Vomiting – the food eaten gets accumulated in the oesophagus due to the tumour and causes vomiting shortly after eating.
Hoarseness – a sore throat is experienced quite often
Indigestion – the tumour does not allow the cardiac spinchter to function properly, resulting in acid reflux, causing indigestion
Heart-burn – this is a very rare symptom of cancer
Neck, back and chest pain – this pain gets worse while swallowing or when you have indigestion
Causes of oesophageal cancer
The cause of oesophageal cancer has not been understood fully yet. Although there are several risk factors that raise the probability of being afflicted by it. They are:
Excessive consumption of alcohol
Increased use of any form of tobacco (cigars, cigarettes, pipes, chewing tobacco, etc)
Chronic acid reflux
Barrett’s oesophagus (growth of new cells like the stomach cells in the lower area of the oesophagus)
Obesity (excessively over weighted)
Diet that lacks vitamins B-1, a or C and zinc
Ageing
Lengthy exposure to specific pollutants and chemicals
Diagnosis of oesophageal cancer
Initially the patient’s medical history is studied, after which a physical examination is carried out. If oesophageal cancer has been detected, several tests are performed. Some of which include:
Endoscopy: this test is done by using a telescope to see inside the body. it is passed through the mouth into the stomach. it has a light attached to its end which sends back images that can be seen on the monitor and looked for indications of a tumour.
Biopsy: a sample of the cells is taken using a specific extracting equipment which is attached to the endoscope. This sample is then tested and examined to show if the cells are cancerous or not.
Barrium Swallow: in this test the patient is made to drink barium, a white coloured, thick liquid. Then a number of X-rays are done to show if there is and blockage in the gullet.
Endoscopy Ultrasound: this test is done to know how much the cancer has spread and the size of the tumour.
Computerised tomography (CT) scan: this scan takes several images of the body in the form of X-rays and compiles them together, getting a detailed image of the inside of the body. it helps in knowing then range of development of cancer.