Suspected esophageal cancer if there is bleeding from a chilling voice and chronic cough...Beware of men over 40 years of age
Feb 19, 2025
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One day, while enjoying drinking with co-workers as usual, I felt like I had food stuck in my throat, but I didn't think it was a big deal. After that, Park visited the hospital and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, feeling serious due to persistent heartburn symptoms and feeling stuffy and clogged inside.
Among the various diseases that can occur in the esophagus, the most fatal disease is esophageal cancer. It may be somewhat unfamiliar that cancer can develop in the esophagus, but caution is needed because there are no symptoms in the early stages. Unlike the stomach or large intestine, the esophagus is not wrapped in a shroud, so cancer cells can easily spread to lymph glands around the esophagus or adjacent organs, so early detection is very important.
Esophageal cancer is the 11th most common cancer in Korea, and occurs mainly in men rather than women, and appears after the age of 40. The biggest factor in esophageal cancer is alcohol consumption, which is itself a cause of carcinogenesis and also plays a role in allowing other carcinogens to penetrate normal cells well. In addition, eating habits that stimulate the esophagus, such as smoking, red meat, processed meat, and hot drinks, are also considered the main cause of esophageal cancer.
Obesity is also one of the causes of esophageal cancer, which is closely related to increased Barrett's esophagus due to esophageal reflux of gastric acid. Barrett's esophagus is the main cause of esophageal cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma, and it is mainly a disease that occurred in the West, but recently it is also occurring in Korea due to changes in lifestyle or an increase in reflux esophagitis. Continuous stimulation of the esophagus leads to denaturation of esophageal mucosal cells and can develop into esophageal cancer, so it is recommended that the esophagus is not stimulated as much as possible.
When you feel symptoms of esophageal cancer and visit a hospital, it is highly likely that the cancer has already progressed.
Usually, when swallowing food, you feel pain, weight loss, bleeding, and pressing the surrounding nerves, causing a raspy voice or chronic cough. Esophageal cancer can be detected through endoscopy, and if there is cancer only in mucosal tissue among several layers of esophageal walls, it can be cured with endoscopic resection. Even if it has progressed more deeply, the cancer can be removed through surgery and radiotherapy. In the case of early esophageal cancer progressing to endoscopic mucosal resection and submucosal dissection, it has a 5-year survival rate of more than 90%, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis.
In order to prevent esophageal cancer, it is important to improve lifestyle habits, such as smoking, drinking, and refraining from eating stimulating food. In particular, spicy, hot, and stimulating food stimulates the esophageal wall and increases the incidence of cancer, so avoid hot and stimulating food and eat soft and light foods or fresh vegetables.
Choi Hyuk-soon, a professor of gastroenterology at Korea University Anam Hospital, said "The 5-year survival rate of esophageal cancer has continued to increase recently. This is because the number of early detection of esophageal cancer through regular endoscopic examination has increased. Regular examinations of esophageal and gastroscopy are important because esophageal cancer is a cancer that can be cured if detected at an early stage. "Treatment methods are also continuously developing, so even in advanced cancer, the cure rate can be increased with minimally invasive surgery such as thoracoscopic surgery and radiation therapy" he said.
Professor Choi recommends visiting the hospital immediately for examination, especially if you have difficulty swallowing, pain, or feeling stuck in your neck or chest"In the case of domestic esophageal cancer, it is important to improve lifestyle habits as it is more common in men who drink and smoke rather than women."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
