Esophageal cancer symptoms include difficulty swallowing, sore throat, hoarse voice, weight loss, and cough. Smoking is a common cause. Treatment options include radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, but early detection is key for successful treatment. Metastasized cancer has a higher death rate.
The symptoms of cancer of the esophagus, or a tumor of the esophagus, vary according to the stages of the disease. The most common symptoms are difficulty swallowing and sore throat. As the disease progresses, symptoms usually get worse. Cough, hoarse voice, and weight loss can be other common symptoms.
Esophageal cancer is often caused by cigarette smoking, although many other factors can contribute to this type of cancer. In the early stages, the patient may not notice any changes or abnormalities. After a short time, tenderness in the neck and throat may soon develop. The patient may then notice difficulty swallowing, especially hard, crunchy or textured foods. There may be a feeling of fullness or tightness in the throat.
In some cases of esophageal cancer or esophageal cancer, pain in the throat can radiate to other areas, such as the upper chest region. Enlarged glands may also be present. As the disease progresses, coughing is also usually present. The cough may begin as a dry cough and sometimes there may also be an excess of phlegm or mucus.
Another common symptom of esophageal cancer is hoarseness. The patient may notice a change in the way his voice sounds. Often the voice can take on a lower, hoarse edge. In advanced stages, the vocal cords can be completely damaged by the presence of the tumor, which can make speaking painful, difficult, or even impossible.
The patient with esophageal cancer may suffer organ damage as the cancer metastasizes to other areas of the body. You may notice that the pain in your throat has spread to a large area in your back. This could indicate kidney failure or complications. In some cases, the spinal cord may also be affected.
If the cancer of the esophagus spreads to the lungs, the patient will experience another set of symptoms. In advanced stages of a cancer of the esophagus that has affected the lungs, the patient’s cough may get progressively worse. He may start coughing up blood or find drops of blood on his pillow. Chest pain and pressure are common in this case.
When cancer of the esophagus has affected one or both lungs, the patient is also at risk of developing pneumonia. Symptoms of pneumonia are fever, chills, deep cough and chest pain. Difficulty breathing is another common symptom.
A patient with esophageal cancer can be treated with a combination of therapies. These can include radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. Patients with cancer of the esophagus can be successfully treated and possibly cured if the disease is caught in the very early stages, before the cancer has spread to other regions of the body. Once the cancer has metastasized, the death rate is significantly higher.
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