What are the symptoms of esophageal cancer?
Early symptoms feel like indigestion or heartburn, so many people ignore those symptoms. The most common symptom is trouble swallowing. At first, the trouble is with dry, solid foods such as bread, muffin, or chicken. It can become hard to swallow liquids. You may also feel pressure or burning when swallowing. You may feel like food is stuck in your throat or chest. Other symptoms include choking, vomiting, coughing, hoarseness, and pain in the throat or breastbone. You may notice a lump on your neck or collarbone, or under your arm.
Very small tumors at an early stage do not generally cause symptoms. Patients commonly experience difficulty swallowing as the tumor gets larger and the width of the esophagus becomes narrowed. At first, most have trouble swallowing solid foods such as meats, breads or raw vegetables. As the tumor grows, the esophagus becomes more narrowed causing difficulty in swallowing even liquids. Cancer of the esophagus can also cause symptoms of indigestion, heartburn, vomiting and choking. Patients may also have coughing and hoarseness of the voice. Involuntary weight loss is also common. 4. How is esophageal cancer diagnosed? The doctor will generally start by taking a complete history and performing a physical examination. An esophagram, also called a barium swallow, is a series of x-rays of the esophagus. The patient is asked to drink a barium solution, which coats the inside of the esophagus. Multiple x-rays are then taken to look for changes in the shape of the esophagus. Most patients und
