Nursing Care for Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal Cancer Definition

Content is medically reviewed by:

Dr. Udaya Kumar Maiya (MBBS, MD, DNB(RT), DCCF (Paris), Medical Director, Portea.

‘Esophagael cancer is the cancer of the esophagus. It occurs due to the development of malignant tumors in the tissues lining the esophagus.’ Esophagael cancer leads to difficulty in swallowing, acid reflux, bleeding in the esophagus and pain the esophagus.

Esophageal cancer is the sixth most common cause of death due to cancer and is mainly attributed to tobacco and alcohol use. Esophagael cancer is more common in men than women.

Esophagael Cancer Types

Esophagael cancer types are classified according to the location of it is origin; as such there are mainly two subtypes of esophagael cancer i.e.

1. Esophagael squamous – cell carcinoma – It develops from the epithelial cells that line the esophagus. It is mainly caused by the consumption of alcohol, betelnut, tobacco and poor diet.
2. Esophagael Adinocarcinoma – This type of esophagael cancer forms from the glandular cells located in the lower third of the esophagus. This type of cancer is caused by smoking tobacco, being obese and acid reflux.

Other rare types of esophagael cancer are small cell carcinoma, sarcoma, lymphoma, melanoma and choriocarcinoma

Esophagael Cancer Stages

Esophagael cancer stages help in determining the extent and size of the cancer, the amount of tumour invasion, involvement of lymph nodes and distant metastasis. The doctors use varied staging system to classify Esophagael cancer stages and this staging system also comes in handy in deciding upon the course of treatment for the patient.

The esophageal cancer stages are classified into 4 stages with stage 0 indicating that the cancer is limited and is limited only to the superficial layer of the esophagus and stage IV esophagael cancer refers to the advanced stage, meaning the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Esophagael Cancer Symptoms

The major Esophagael cancer symptoms are not visible up until the cancer has spread to over 60% of the esophagus tube, because the onset of the symptoms is triggered by the narrowing of the esophagus tube and by that time the tumour gets into its advanced stage.  Some of the common Esophagael cancer symptoms are;

• Difficulty swallowing
• Heart burn and acid reflux
• Pain behind the breastbone and around the stomach region
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fistulas
• Unintended weightloss
• Aspiration Pneumonia

Esophagael Cancer Causes

The main reason behind Esophagael cancer causes is the mutation in the esophagus cells leading it to grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner. The actual reason as to why the cells start behaving in this unusual manner is yet to be known. A few risk factors have been identified that contributes to the esophagael cancer cause and they are;

• Chewing betel nuts
• Smoking tobacco
• Alcohol consumption
• Poor diet and lifestyle
• Acid reflux
• Obesity

Esophagael Cancer Diagnosis

The various esophagael cancer diagnostic tests and tools used in Esophagael cancer diagnosis are as follows;

The first esophagael cancer diagnostic tool used is endoscopy. It helps in examining the esophagus and check for cancerous growth and areas of irritation

The second Esophagael cancer test used is biopsy, where a sample of the tissue from the essophagus is collected and sent for testing

Besides the above Esophagael cancer tests, some of the other Esophagael cancer screening tests used are Endoscopic Ultrasound, PET scan and CT scan

Esophagael Cancer Home Treatment

Esophogael cancer home treatment involves some herbal remedies, dietary changes and esophagael cancer care. Some of the measures that can be adopted as part of esophagael cancer home treatment are as follows;

Try caffeine-free and clear liquids like tea, ginger ale and lemonade to ease nausea.
To prevent weight loss, get plenty of calories from creamy calorie rich food like creams and sauces, ice cream, and avocados.
Avoid hot drinks and opt for cooler food products to numb the throat like milk shakes, smoothies, ice cream, gelatos etc
Eat small meals and chew properly
Try various relaxation therapies like yoga, acupuncture and deep breathing

Esophagael Cancer Treatment

Early detection is the key to esophagael cancer treatment but the disease is not completely curable since by the time the symptoms are detected the cancer has already moved into an advanced stage. Nevertheless, with advancement in esophagael cancer treatment, the disease is better managed and relief is provided by means of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

• Surgery – Surgery helps in the removal of very small tumours or the removal of portion of esophagus (esophagectomy) or the removal of a portion of the esophagus along with the upper portion of the stomach (esophagogastrectomy)
• Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy involves esophagael cancer treatment with the help of chemical drugs to kill cancer cells
• Radiation therapy – it uses high powered energy beams or proton beams to kill cancer cells. Sometimes both chemotherapy and radiation therapy are given in combination for effective elimination of cancer cells.

How Can We Help?

Cancer of any type is morally very distressing and at this time people prefers the love and support of their family members rather than staying put at a hospital. Moving in this regard, Portea offers the best esophagael cancer treatment at home.  The nurses for esophageal cancer care are specifically trained and provide empathetic esophageal cancer care. So if you need esophagael cancer treatment at home, then you can count on us for an efficient healthcare, nurses for esophagael cancer and rehabilitative care. So, just give us a call and let us take care of your loved one in the best way possible that too within the comfort of your home.