Esophageal cancer by prevalence is ranked 8th by statistical calculations. To date, it has not been possible to identify the true cause of malignant tumors of any etiology in humans. In this case, the defeat of the esophagus is affected by irritating factors: chemical, traumatic, mechanical and thermal, which lead to a disease such as esophagitis. In the future, affected cells change their structure and grow into a malignant neoplasm.
Types of treatment for esophageal cancer
In modern medicine, esophageal cancer is treated surgically and chemotherapy, like other malignant tumors. The effectiveness of the treatment of esophageal cancer with herbs and folk remedies has not been proven and causes huge doubts, but delaying the treatment of traditional methods of treatment and doctors can play into the hands of the patient. If you address too late, then even surgical methods can be powerless. Self-medication is a bad ally in the fight against such a life-threatening disease as cancer, since a favorable time for treatment can be missed.
To date, palliative treatment of esophageal cancer is an exit at stages T3 and T4, since radical methods here are practically useless.
There are two types of esophageal cancer:
- adenocarcinoma, developing from the glands producing mucus;
- a squamous cell carcinoma that arises from squamous epithelial cells, and is divided into a superficial and a deeply invasive one.
Treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus is determined by the doctor depending on the degree of lesion and place of education:
- surgical (band or endoscopic surgery);
- with the help of radiation and chemotherapy ;
- combined type of treatment.
But it is worth remembering that any malignant formation can develop very rapidly and threaten life, so delaying treatment to an oncologist is very dangerous.