It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death worldwide, but many people are unaware that they have the disease.
And esophageal cancer does not cause symptoms at the onset of the disease.
That’s what happened to Andy Goram, a former Scottish football player who plays as a goalkeeper and plays for various clubs in Scotland and England, who recently revealed he has esophageal cancer.
The news shocked his followers when Goram, 58, said he had been given a lifespan of about six months.
The former football player explained in an interview that he felt sick for the first time about seven weeks ago when he had eating and drinking problems.
However, unable to get an appointment with her GP, she initially ignored the heartburn she was experiencing.
Like Goram, many patients treated for esophageal cancer report that this disease initially presents as asymptomatic or with symptoms that are often easily overlooked.
Paul Sinclair, from Fife, Scotland, told the BBC he began experiencing a “gas-like feeling in the lower ribcage” in September 2020. Sinclair also felt that she was “eating too much” in one bite.
“I ignored him like everyone else,” she says. “I felt gassy. I was eating well, I had no pain.”
“It was just a nuisance under my rib cage. It took about a week and a half and then I thought, ‘I’m going to see someone about this.’
“I went to the doctor and he sent me straight for endoscopy. This confirmed I had a tumor in the upper part of my stomach.”
Sinclair received four rounds of chemotherapy over an eight-week period before a six-week hiatus.
He then underwent an 11-hour surgery that included removal of his spleen. He then received “very aggressive chemotherapy” again.
“I was very sick during both sessions of chemotherapy,” she explains. “The second one was worse because you’re already thin after the surgery.”
“As you recover, you should start to relearn how to eat, chew food well, eat small portions and many meals throughout the day.”
Now, three years later, Sinclair may be back in the gym for a light workout, but things will never be “pretty normal.”
“You have to stay positive and be grateful for every single day you wake up,” she says.
“Most importantly, I didn’t have particularly serious symptoms, but it’s essential not to ignore them and control yourself.”
What are the symptoms of esophageal cancer?
The esophagus is the long tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. The main symptoms of cancer are:
Other symptoms include:
Source: NHS (UK National Health Service)
Linda Moffat, who also lives in Scotland, saw herself as a 48-year-old physically fit woman who rides horses every day.
But in December 2014, she recalled starting to feel like “the food wasn’t coming down like it was stuck to me.” “The pain would increase and the food would get stuck.”
“I had to vomit to open the block. I thought it was an ulcer. We thought it was nothing serious.”
After a while, she says she “got up the courage to talk to the doctor” and was prescribed antacids. However, the symptoms persisted and he was sent for endoscopy.
This revealed a “very advanced tumor” in his esophagus, and this was “the beginning of a very long and difficult journey,” he explains.
“This is very aggressive cancer, and surgery is really brutal: eight hours in the operating room,” he said. “You have chemotherapy before and after. You have to learn to eat again.”
“And you have a lot of problems with vomiting and diarrhea and pain. I guess you never fully recover.”
“I was very lucky. My cancer was so advanced and my chances of survival were only 20%,” she says.
“But it’s been almost seven years and I’m so happy to be alive and so grateful to everyone who has helped me be here.”
“This disease is often called the ‘silent killer’ because the symptoms are so variable,” he adds. “Pray for people to go to the doctor as soon as possible.”
Caroline Geraghty, a specialist nurse at Cancer Research UK, says the risk of esophageal cancer is increased by “typical things” like smoking, drinking alcohol and gaining weight, as well as chewing tobacco.
“But having a higher risk doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get cancer,” she says. “Most people don’t know why they have esophageal cancer.”
Geraghty urged anyone who thinks they may have symptoms to see their GP “to be sure”.
“As we know, the earlier you get cancer, the better your chances,” he added.
But he emphasizes that the majority of patients who experience symptoms will not be related to cancer.
“We can understand why some GPs don’t send the patient directly to endoscopy to investigate; some people just need antacids,” he says.
“But there will be other people who may require a faster investigation,” he said.
Note that you can receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download and activate the new version of our app so you don’t miss our best content.
Source: Exame
