There are an estimated 16,640 new cases of esophageal cancer thus far in 2010. In addition, there has been an estimated 14,500 deaths reported from this disease in 2010. Statistical data can be found here. Esophageal cancer can be a difficult diagnosis because the symptoms are often treated as a case of acid reflux disease. This article aims to shed more light on this troubling disease and therefore help people facing this disease make informed decisions. My father passed away due to complications from esophageal cancer surgery back in April of 2009. What I have learned about this disease I’m passing on to you.
The Esophagus and Acid Reflux
As background, the esophagus is a tube located in the neck and chest region of the body. What some people might not know is actually how far this tube travels down the chest cavity. This round tube starts at the neck and extends all the way down to the stomach. The normal length of the esophagus is around 25-30 cm (9.8”-11.8”). The primary function of the esophagus is the carrying of food to the stomach for digestion.
Over duration of time, the lining of the esophagus gets eaten away by certain foods and liquids. Often times, doctors treat patients for acid reflux problems when there are symptoms of indigestion and heartburn. If left untreated, acid reflux can cause damage to the esophagus. The acid being refluxed into the esophagus irritates the area and eventually damages the esophagus. The main area of the esophagus susceptible to damage is the lower portion near the stomach.
The majority of esophageal cancer cases in the United States are also located at the base of the esophagus where food empties into the stomach. Acid reflux is not the only causes of esophageal cancer. Other possible causes are:
- Smoking(my father was a smoker)
- Frequent alcohol drinking
- Diets low in fruits and vegetables
- Age(65 and older greater risk factor)
- Obesity
Signs And Symptoms
The main symptoms and signs of esophageal cancer include:
- Weight loss (Can be fast and significant)
- Difficulty in swallowing(both food and liquids)(worse symptom for my dad)
- Pain in the chest area
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Heartburn(same with acid reflux)
- Food pieces getting lodged in the esophagus
- Vomiting of blood
- Passing blood during bowel movement
If you experience any of the above symptoms please contact your health care provider for further evaluation. A lot of patients experiencing these symptoms are going to be treated for acid reflux initially. Demand further evaluation if problems persist. My father was treated for years with acid reflux disease (GERD). The problems worsened but the doctors insisted that it was only GERD.
Diagnosing Esophageal Cancer
Next, I want to cover the different methods to diagnose esophageal cancer. Some of the ways include:
- Endoscopy(scope is used to examine the entire esophagus area for damage)
- X-rays(typically referred to as a barium swallow test, a chalky-like liquid is swallowed to evaluate its track through the system)
- Biopsy(scope is used to take a specific area of the esophagus and examine for cancer or any other abnormalities)
- Types Of Esophageal Cancer
- Esophageal cancer is classified as two different types. The two types are:
- Squamous cell carcinoma(normally located in the upper portion of the esophagus, more common around the world but not as common in the USA)
- Adenocarcinoma(typically located in the lower portion of the esophagus near the stomach, most common type in the USA)(my father’s diagnosis)
Testing For Esophageal Cancer Staging
There are numerous tests and exams to check for stages of esophageal cancer. Some of the more typical ones are:
- Endoscopic ultrasound (scope is used to see how deep the cancer may have attacked the esophagus wall, physician may use a needle to sample lymph nodes)
- PET scan (patient is injected with a sugar type compound, cancer shows up as bright or lighted up areas on a monitoring screen)(same test used on my father)(very expensive test)
- MRI (magnet is linked to a computer screen to provide a detailed image of the body, can show spread of cancer to surrounding lymph nodes)
- CT scan (x-rays linked to a screen to provide a detailed image of the chest and abdomen area)
- Laparoscopy (doctor makes small cuts around the abdominal region and a thin lighted scope (laparoscope) is used to look for cancer cells)
Stages
Esophageal cancer stages range from 0-4 and several factors determine which stage the diseased may have progressed. The stages and expected results are:
- Stage 0(cancer cells only in the inner layer)
- Stage 1(cancer has grown through the inner layer)
- Stage 2 may involve one of the following situations:
- Cancer has grown through the outer layer
- Cancer has attacked the muscle layer and may be found in the lymph nodes
- Cancer has grown through the inner layer and spread to surrounding lymph nodes
- Stage 3 also involves of the following:
- Cancer has attacked nearby structures like the air passages and may have spread to lymph nodes
- Cancer has grown through the outer layer and spread to lymph nodesStage 4(cancer has spread to organs such as the liver, lungs, and stomach)
Treatment Options
There are basically three different conventional methods of treatment. The options include:
- Radiation therapy (machine with high-energy rays are used to destroy cancer cells)
- Chemotherapy (drugs are administered to kill cancer cells)
- Combo therapy (using both radiation and chemo to attack the cancer cells)(my father went through both)
- Surgery (the most risky option and patient is faced with possible post-surgery complications)
- All of the above (using radiation, chemo, and surgery to attack the disease)(option my father chose)
My Father’s Story – If You Choose Surgery, Find a Qualified Surgeon
My father chose the route of all three methods of treatment for his esophageal cancer diagnosis. The radiation and chemo were successful but definitely very agonizing. Once he was finished with chemo and radiation, he chose surgery to get rid of the esophagus. While no evidence of cancer was found by PET scan after chemo and radiation, my dad didn’t want to take a chance on the cancer coming back. He made it through the surgery successfully. On day 9 after surgery, he suffered what is called an “Anastomotic Leak”. This is a leakage of fluids at the site where the esophagus was removed. My father passed away of this often fatal condition.
There are various reasons as to why a leak may happen. One reason is the skill and care of the surgeon(s). I want to emphasize to find a very qualified physician to perform surgery if that’s the route chosen. My father gained the trust of his doctors and was confident in them. However, we didn’t go to a specific cancer hospital like MD Anderson in Texas. We stayed local and he didn’t want to burden the family on traveling. I tried to convince him otherwise. He said that he trusted his surgeons and followed through with it. Another reason that a leak can occur is due to insufficient wound healing. Less common reasons are infections and stress at the adjoining site.
We were never given the reason form my father’s sudden and fatal leak. We did have a meeting with one of his surgeons a few weeks after his death. The excuses given to us were a weakened immune system. You find me a cancer patient that doesn’t have a weakened immune system. My dad was in pretty bad health anyhow with other health problems but telling us the reason for the leak was due to a weakened immune system didn’t set too well with the family. We are a family of faith so we just decided it was his time to go. However, we didn’t like the approach by the surgeons in that they didn’t seem to care to find out what happened for future reference. We weren’t given any indication that an investigation would happen by the surgeons to keep this from possibly happening to someone else.
I would just say to do your homework on finding a qualified surgeon(s). I suggest finding a proven cancer facility to have the surgery along with the best surgeon(s). Find out about your surgeons by looking up information on them. I would also suggest getting a surgeon that has extensive experience in this type surgery. A good number to look for is at least 100 operations. You shouldn’t have a problem in finding a surgeon with that number at a cancer facility.
I know what a terrible time my dad had in facing this cancer. However, local hospitals might not be qualified enough to handle a situation like this. This is why I strongly recommend finding a cancer facility if ever faced with esophageal cancer surgery. If through this article, I can help anyone facing this troubling disease it’s a success to me.
Author Bio:
This guest post was contributed by Tony Bowen who is a member of the fastest growing online education communities and writes on topics like education, online school, learning etc.
You have your own view of life and you are responsible how you live it to the fullest. However, there are always factors which you can push you to do things which you think are comforting and good but in the end they will you nothing but problems. Such is true with smoking.
More people believe that smoking can relieve stress or help in solving problems. However, it is another kind of problem after all. But, you may have not thought of it before you take your first stick and lit it. Maybe you were just carried away by your feelings that’s why your started smoking. Here are some of the factual reasons why people smoke;
#1. Peer Pressure – when you are a teenager you would do whatever it takes to fit in with your friends. Thus, if you friends smoke you will strive to learn it too so that you can be included in the club. The fact is, 85% of the smokers started or learned how to smoke during their teenage lives because of peer pressure.
#2. Lifestyle and Fashion – the lifestyle of your parents can greatly affect you because they are your first role models. Thus, you will follow what they do because that’s the kind of life you have known since then. Also, almost everybody would like to believe that smoking is another kind of fashion.
#3. Stress – people who are stressed out like something or anything to relieve their stress that is why most of the problematic people smoke because they find it comforting enough to puff thinking that their problems will be blown out together with the smoke.
How to Keep Teens Away from Smoking
You cannot deny the fact the teenage years is the time when young adults start to explore and feel curious about certain things. This is also the most crucial part of their lives because they will take their own roles which can be their models in life.
If you want to keep your children from smoking, you should be the first one to set an example. While you are a parent, you are also a role model for them. If they see you smoke, most likely they will follow your footsteps and actions.
Talking with them about the certain effects of smoking to the body is also a good thing to do. You should be the first one to educate their curious minds about smoking so that they will come to the point of testing out how it is to smoke and how good does it feel to puff. You should not get tired of advising them about the bad effects of nicotine to the body.
Encourage them to engage into sports. This is the best way to do for teenagers since they are full of energy. Enlighten their confuse minds and encourage them to engage in athletic activities as well as other healthy lifestyle. It would be better to make them addicted to sports than to smoking or drugs.
Show them the value of human life. At early age, they should be able to see life in different perspective and it is your responsibility to make realize it. Life is important that they should take good care of. The realization may come later in life however, as parent; you should not lack encouragement and advice. After all, you do not want them to fall into the bad side of life.
About Author: Harold is a writer who constantly writes about Latest Health News around the world. Featuring daily headlines and stories on current global health issues.
If you think you are the only one who has high cholesterol, you are wrong. There are millions of people in the US alone suffering from diseases related or caused by high cholesterol in the body. Have you known that there are seven major causes of cholesterol?
- Diet – perhaps, this is the most obvious among the causes of cholesterol. Diet plays a great role in the growth of the body because it is where nutrients come from. Eating healthy diet will always lead to healthy bodily functions. The sad thing is, not all foods which are delicious are nutritious. There are those which contain too much saturated fat which is the main source of cholesterol. The best examples are pork, beef, veal, eggs, butter, milk and cheese.
- Weight – having a beer belly is not just bad for your looks; it is also bad for your health. Obese or overweight people are prone to having heart-related diseases caused by cholesterol because HDL (good cholesterol) may decrease while triglycerides (bad cholesterol) may increase generously. Thus, losing weight and fats could be the best thing you can do to help you look good while enjoying a healthy body.
- Gender and Age – it is sad to know that your age and gender may also be the main cause of high cholesterol in your body. Generally, when a person reaches 20, his/her cholesterol may start to rise. In men, it may level off after the age of 50 while women may not suffer from cholesterol until they reach their menopausal period.
- Activity Level – one way to reduce cholesterol contents of the body is to become active. Thus, athletic people have lower cholesterol than those who are not active. Inactivity may give rise to LDL while reducing HDL. Therefore, it pays so much to keep yourself busy and active. Get off your couch and sweat.
- Smoking – nicotine can never bring good to the body. Smokers have higher tendency of developing severe cholesterol-related diseases because of nicotine. Not only that the arteries become narrow and blocked but because bad cholesterol may rise so fast once a person starts to smoke. Chain smokers are facing the greatest health problem a person can have in a lifetime.
- Heredity – it has been found out through constant medical researches that genetic also play a significant role in the rise of cholesterol in the human body. People whose parents or ancestors have history of high cholesterol are more likely to develop the same in their body. However, this factor can easily be stopped by proper diet and constant exercise.
- Overall Health – you may be confident that you are healthy; however, you need to have at least an annual check up of your overall health so that you will know how your body is functioning. There are always time your body may encounter imbalances in hormones. These are the kinds which may result to the rise of your cholesterol.
The best thing you can do for yourself to ensure a healthy body is to engage into a healthy diet and exercise. A 30-minute walk in the morning can keep your cholesterol at low levels each day. Avoid eating foods which may contain saturated fats to avoid heart-related diseases and rise of cholesterol in your body. Stay healthy and fit.
Harold is a fitness trainer and a writer who constantly writes about Health News and tips for Big Pond News–one of the biggest websites in Australia.
Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychological and physical condition, brought on by a stressful or frightening experience.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of PTSD can begin immediately after the traumatic event, or, can develop more gradually over a period of time. The psychological symptoms generally include recurring thoughts of the event and flashbacks, feelings of detachment and avoidance, irritability and hypervigilance. Physical symptoms, including nausea, headaches, sweating and chest pains may also accompany the psychological problems of PTSD. Many patients also experience depression or anxiety and misuse alcohol or drugs as part of their condition (See http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Post-traumatic-stress-disorder/Pages/Introduction.aspx)
How can PTSD be treated?
There are many treatment options available to PTSD sufferers. The treatments cannot erase the memories of the traumatic event, but instead, they aim to ease the symptoms of PTSD.
Talking therapies, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy and counseling have proven to be effective in treating PTSD. These treatments allow the patient to verbally express his/her trauma, identify negative thought patterns and learn to relax. One of these treatments, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, (EMDR), has proved especially successful in treating PTSD. In EMDR the patient is asked to think about the traumatic event they have experienced whilst following, with their eyes, the hand movements of the therapist. Although it is unclear why EMDR has been so successful, it has been suggested that it may desensitize the patient’s thought patterns in relation to the trauma that he/she has experienced.
Medication is another treatment possibility for PTSD. This includes the use of anti-depressants, particularly Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, which can ease symptoms even if the patient is not suffering from depression. Benzodiazepines can also help to reduce anxiety and improve poor sleep.
Is it possible to identify at-risk groups?
Although it remains unclear as to why people develop PTSD, there are some groups who may be more vulnerable than others. Based on recent studies, the evidence suggests that PTSD can develop in:
1 in 5 fire-fighters
1 in 3 teenage survivors of car crashes
1 in 2 female rape victims
2 in 3 prisoners of war.
(See http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder.htm)
Children who are abused or witness road traffic accidents are another at-risk PTSD group. Deployed military personnel, who are likely to witness traumatic events as part of their work, can also go on to develop PTSD.
Can PTSD be prevented?
This is a difficult question to answer without understanding the causes of PTSD. However, one thing is certain; when a person experiences trauma, immediate support is crucial, whether this comes from family and friends or a professional. Joining a self-help group and sharing experiences with others can be an important tool in recovery and in preventing PTSD.
K M Jones is a content writer for Online Nursing Schools who gives advice on the pursuit of education and living a healthy life. In her free time she enjoys blogging, reading and movies.
