I feel tired after eating, but it turns out that I have cancer? The 38-year-old Ms. Liu has had a bad appetite since she was a child, and her body has always been thin when she grew up, only over 80 pounds. In the second half of last year, she was always uncomfortable when eating, and after a few bites, she felt choked up. At the end of the year, during the physical examination of the unit, the doctor found out that there was an abnormality in her – there was a 3 cm shadow in her esophagus, and she was finally diagnosed as esophageal cancer.
I. The Lancet: Half of the world’s esophageal cancers are in China, what did we do wrong
A statistical study published in the internationally renowned journal The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology showed that the proportion of new cases and deaths of esophageal cancer worldwide in 2017 was about 473,000 and 436,000. China ranks first in both incidence and deaths. In 2017, there were 235,000 new cases of esophageal cancer and 213,000 deaths in China. In other words, about half of the world’s esophageal cancer patients are in China.
Why is the number of esophageal cancer patients so high in China? The reason is mainly related to four points. 1. The most cruel cause of cancer—genes
Fudan University Cancer Hospital conducted a 6-year study, and researchers found The genetic characteristics and genetic background of esophageal cancer patients in my country were identified, and for the first time, an important cause of the increased risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese and other Asians was discovered—Germline mutation of NFE2L2 gene, Asians The risk of germline mutations in the NFE2L2 gene in human races is higher than in other races.
2. Esophageal cancer after hot burn – hot food
“eat while it’s hot” is There is a bad habit in our eating habits. Eating too hot food for a long time will make the esophageal mucosa very “injured”.
The maximum temperature that the esophagus can tolerate is 65°. Once the food exceeds this temperature, it will cause chronic burns in the esophagus, which is an important risk factor for esophageal cancer. The World Health Organization has classified hot beverages over 65° as a class 2A carcinogen, that is, a substance that is likely to be carcinogenic to humans.
3. Inhaled esophageal cancer – cigarettes
Smoking is one of the important risk factors for the occurrence of esophageal cancer in my country. Substances will enter the esophagus with saliva and food or be absorbed and act on the esophagus, eventually leading to cancer of the esophagus.
4. Esophageal cancer – preserved food
Preserved food contains a lot of nitrite , the substance is likely to be converted into nitrosamines after entering the body, and nitrosamines are strong carcinogens. People who love pickled foods for a long time have an increased risk of esophageal cancer to a certain extent.
To prevent esophageal cancer, it is very important to correct some bad habits in life. And when the body suffers from esophageal cancer, it will send out some “call for help” signals. Secondly, if these kinds of abnormalities occur when eating, be alert to esophageal cancer 1. There is a foreign body sensation when swallowing food and is choked
Early esophageal cancer can cause patients to have a foreign body sensation when swallowing, especially When eating some dry and hard food, you will obviously feel a foreign body sensation when the food passes through the diseased area. If you pay attention to observation, you will find that the location of the foreign body sensation is usually in the same place. Some patients describe this symptom as always feeling that there is “food storage” in the esophagus, and they can’t swallow it.
2. Stagnation or stagnation in swallowing
When swallowing food, there will be obvious stagnation and stagnation when the food passes through a certain part The symptoms generally do not persist, but gradually become apparent as the disease progresses.
3. Upper abdominal fullness and pain
Patients will experience abnormal upper abdominal fullness and pain in daily life, and the symptoms will be more obvious when eating . However, symptoms do not appear every time you eat, and early symptoms often last for more than three months. Once the symptoms are persistent and frequent, the disease may not be in its early stages.
4. Pain in the back of the sternum after eating When swallowing food every day, you will find a slight pain in the sternum, and can Where pain is felt, the pain may be burning, acupuncture, and pulling and rubbing.
Esophageal cancer will bring a great threat to the life safety of patients. Is there any method to help early detection of esophageal cancer?
Third, can esophageal cancer be detected at an early stage? Due to the lack of specific symptoms in the early stage of esophageal cancer, most patients are found to be in the advanced stage. For some high-risk groups of esophageal cancer, regular screening is very important!
The high-risk groups of esophageal cancer include:
①people from Linxian, Taihang Mountains, Guangdong-Fujian border areas with high incidence of esophageal cancer;
②people with family history of esophageal cancer or head and neck squamous cell carcinoma;
③people who smoke and drink heavily ;
④People who often eat spicy, stimulating, pickled foods, and eat very fast each time;
⑤People with precancerous lesions such as dysplasia of esophageal mucosa. The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University Digestive EndoscopyDr. Zhang Li suggested that high-risk groups should start routine gastroscopy from the age of 40. Gastroscopy can help detect abnormalities in the esophagus in time. For some non-high-risk groups, regular gastroscopy is also recommended after the age of 50.
For ordinary people, if they want to prevent the occurrence of esophageal cancer in their life, they can start with eating. Keeping these habits may help. Reduce the risk of esophageal cancer. 4. How to take care of the delicate esophagus when eating? 1. Eat softly
Rough food is very easy to cause damage to the esophageal mucosa when swallowing, and long-term intake of such food will bury hidden dangers for esophageal cancer.
2. Eat slower
Don’t eat too hastily. It is generally recommended to finish a meal within 20-30 minutes.
3. Eat warmer It is also very important to get rid of the bad habit of eating “while it’s hot” for the prevention of esophageal cancer. The daily intake of food should be mainly warm and hot. Let it cool down a bit before eating.
Esophageal cancer has a high morbidity and mortality rate in our country. As ordinary people, if we want to prevent esophageal cancer, we need to correct bad habits from diet, and pay attention to regular inspections.
References:
[1] “Half of the world’s esophageal cancer occurs in China, how is the delicate esophagus “broken”? “. Life Times. 2020.12.22
[2]” [Daily Technology Express] Why is the incidence of esophageal cancer so high in my country? Experts of Cancer Hospital Discover Related “Gene Map””. Shanghai Association for Science and Technology. 2018.1.7