Esophageal Cancer Types

Question: Why do people get esophageal cancer? My stomach is almost always irritated due to too much coffee drinking and stress and I get heartburn easily. I dont get hearburn everyday but I continously have issues with my stomach. Can I eventually get this type of cancer? p.s. I eat plenty of fruits,veggies,fiber and drink lots of water after the coffee.

Answer: Long term acid reflux is a strong risk factor for developing esophageal cancer. Cancer is caused by genetic damage to cells and then the cells get out of control becoming cancer cells. The damage to esophageal cells by acid over years damages the DNA making them change type, increasing the chance they will turn into cancer cells. you should try to minimise the amount of reflux you get. If you can link it to certain drinks and foods such as coffee, alcohol, spice, high fat etc you should cut down on these to reduce reflux. You should also consider taking regular antiacid medication. If over the counter tablets work for you to ease heart burn then take these. If these arent strong enough you should go to the doctor for some proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and even have an H.pylori test and a course of antibiotics. H. Pylori is a stomach bug that increases the amount of acid in the stomach and can worsen reflux.

Question: What Stage Does This Sound Like For Esophageal Cancer? They believe my father may have esophageal cancer, but as of now the only symptom has been an acid reflux type sickness as of late. They told him there is a lesion inside his esophagus, and they did the biopsy so it's just a waiting game now. So I was hoping some people could help me in giving me a idea of what stage this could be. Please help me as much as you can. Thank you.

Answer: If it is cancer, it's probably pretty early. Does he have a history of reflux, or is this new? Having a history of acid reflux increases the risk of esophageal cancer, but it could also be an ulcer, or just an irritation. No panicking until the biopsy comes back, okay? :)

Question: Esophageal Cancer Surgery ? A family member of mine just found out that she has Esophageal cancer. She's at the point in the disease where she is just now starting to have problems swallowing. This would be bad enough, but to top it all off her other medical issues include the fact that she is obese, has diabetes and high blood pressure. The good news is that she has had the ct scan, the abdoman and other tests done to make sure it hasn't spread outside the esophogus, and those tests came out clean. Two doctors have already told her that she needs surgery, she is going to a very good hospital that specializes in all types of cancer this coming week. My question is does anyone know about this type of surgery? I hear it's quite difficult, and having all her medical issues only makes it that much more difficult. Will she be able to handle this surgery? How difficult will the recovery period be for her? How much help will she need? She's 65 yrs old and lives alone with her husband, but her two children live close by. I'd appreciate only answers from those that truly have some experience with this in their family, or obviously someone from the medical field. I'm quite worried and I'm just trying to help her. Thanks.

Answer: i really feel for you at the moment its such a hard choice to make. im going to be honest with you. my mum had surgery for this last month and now she is no longer with me, please get the hospital to tell you every thing about this surgery. my mum might have lived for a year longer if she hadnt had this surgery, she was 62 & we all miss her very much. im not saying this happens to everybody because it doesnt. if i was you knowing wot i no now i would ask as many questions as you can. incompetent doctors and nurses dont help. please dont make any decisions on wot i have said just please look into it properly &find out wot the choices are.i no its had but be strong and let this family member how much they are loved. best wishes.

Question: Can I get cancer if my dad's side of the family has cancer? My dad himself, has esophageal cancer. On my mom's side I was told that I might get diabetes, since my uncles and grandma has diabetes. I currently have a type of guttate psoriasis that won;t seem to go away. I have two other siblings and we were all born with mild asthma. Can there be a big risk for us to inherit any cancer or diabetes genes in blood frm our parents?

Answer: unfortunately yes. according to studies made on this, if your parents or grandparents have diabetes, heart conditions, cancer, etc we are more likely to get it too. Get yearly physicals and also go whenever you think you have a symptom if these.

Question: If my wife develops cancer how do I know which religion to turn to for a miracle cure? I started looking into cancer and miracle healing and here are a few things I have found. So far I have: 1) Allah saving one from what sounds like metastatic breast cancer. 2) Tibetan mysticism saving a lymphoma patient. 3) Jesus better than chemo and radiation for esophageal cancer 4) Jehovah's Witness whose observance of faith lead to a cure for pancreatic cancer with some radical chinese herbs Are there any statistics that show the one true religion saving more than the others? Do the various Gods specialize in certain types of cancer? For example should I go with Allah for a breast cancer and Jesus for esophageal? I will post the links once the question gets posted. 1) Allah breast cancer http://members.tripod.com/worldupdates/newupdates10/id45.htm 2) Tibetan mysticism lymphoma http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/health/2009/04/30/compassion-heals-a-tibetan-story/ 3) Jesus better than chemo and radiation for esophageal cancer http://academictips.org/blogs/triumph-over-cancer/ 4) Jehovah's Witness following the faith leads to some great chinese herbs http://www.cancer-central.com/pancreas-cancer/pancreas-cancer-3.htm Well it is coming. My wife just had another sister diagnosed with breast cancer. So for her that is her mom dead from it. 3 sisters with it currently. This issue is one I worry about constantly. As far as breast cancer genetics go there are several subtypes and her sisters have been tested. So far negative. One of her sisters is in the california medial system and had the lump several months before it was removed. Positive for cancer.

Answer: I think you should talk with Soundproof. She is dealing with this problem right now. She has dealt with it before. Through it all, she has retained her sense of humour, love of life, dignity, and what a dang good friend she is. Seriously, if she isn't on your contact list, go through mine and find her. Send her an e-mail. Because, whatever she is doing....well that's the right thing to do. oh, and what universal said, as well.

Question: How many of you know people who died of any type of cancer?? ....0.... ..0...0.... .0.....0... .0.....0.. please put this ..0...0...on your profile ...0..0... if you know someone ....00.... that died from cancer ..0....0.. .0......0 I know someone who died of esophageal cancer around the holidays and his wife had to celebrate with us. Another thing I didn't like a bunch of expensive gifts that I received when she has NOTHING for the holidays. I feel so sad. HOW MANY OF YOU???? IT"S VERY HARD TO GRIEVE ESPECIALLY AROUND THE HOLIDAYS????

Answer: A word about esophageal cancer. It is not a pleasant way to die, and the surgical procedure to correct this, is so uncomplicated today. I had my gall bladder removed fifteen years ago. My doctor suggested that we should consider this procedure too, given that I also suffered from chronic indigestion and reflux. The gall bladder procedure was a non invasive, lapascopic concept done in front of a monitor. it went off without a hitch, and the doctor proceeded with the esophageal surgery using the same format. I was out of the hospital in two days and back to light duty work in three. I haven't needed an antacid tablet since ! I am confident that esophageal cancer is one I can scratch off as a contributor to my demise. More importantly, my quality of life has improved a hundred fold, since then. My heart goes out to your friend for her loss. Hopefully others can be helped with this story of resolve !

Question: How do you react when learning a parent has cancer? My dad had to go to the hospital because he was having difficulty swallowing and now he literally can't swallow anything. Apparently they found a mass but I don't think they know yet if it is cancer. They said it could be esophageal or thyroid cancer. Assuming they come back and say he does have some type of cancer, how am I supposed to react? I have a good relationship with my dad (I'm 24 and he's 58). I almost feel like I should be more upset and sad than I am (or would be), but if it is some type of cancer, what can I do, and what can he do? Is it wrong for me to feel sort of helpless but not that phased by it? I've had people close to me pass away, but I haven't experienced anybody remotely close to me being diagnosed with cancer before. Maybe it's possible that it isn't cancer, and maybe if they do come back and say it is cancer, I will have more emotions than I'm having right now. Thanks for advice and opinions.

Answer: Whatever the diagnosis is, be sure to get as much information as possible - even a second opinion if you feel it's necessary - so that you and your dad can make an informed decision on what treatment to pursue. You will feel what you need to feel when the time comes - don't worry. Right now you don't know what you will be dealing with or how it will affect your life, so you are kind of in limbo. Good luck - this could be a very trying time for you and your family.

Question: GERD? Head & Neck Cancer? Please Help!? Sorry if this seems lengthy but I need some feedback! 4 weeks ago, I was fine and in good health. I make it a point to visit my doctor regularly b/c I do suffer from OCD, anxiety, and I can be a bit of a hyperchondriac. My problems all started 3 weeks ago when I ate some spicy food. I had burning in my chest and throat. I was told it was probably acid reflux and was given Prilosec. All of the symptoms went away on day 2 of taking Prilosec and I was OK until day 4. By then, I had this tightness feeling around my neck and my jaw hurt. I went to an E.N.T. and he said I had a TMJ problem and prescribed 40mg of prednisone for 3 days. Well, on day 2, the tightness went away, jaw pain went away but I started having serious pains from the back of my neck to my back where the spine is. I felt as if something was broken. On day 3, the pain was awful so I decided not to take the last of the prednisone. Fast forward to 2 days later and that problem went away BUT I started having a muffled feeling in my ear, neck spasms, pressure in the back of my head as if I had a band around it and a dull ache in my jaw. The spasms were painful so I went back to the E.N.T. and he told me to see an oral surgeon (I do clench and grind my teeth) and prescribed me Flexeril. I also aw my GP who thought the spasms were a side effect of the prednisone. So, I had one day last week when I felt good... no spasms, little discomfort in the ear, and no head pressure. I went to the dentist for fillings the next day and my problems all came back right after. I saw an oral surgeon last week and he said I had very mild TMJ issues... my jaw is aligned and that he thinks it's a muscular problem. Well, I won't be able to see my GP until next Wednesday and I have scheduled an appt for a neurologist at the end of Dec. I am really anxious right now. I'm 30 yrs old and as I type this here are my problems: 1. discomfort from behind my left ear to my neck. It's not painful but I feel as though the muscle is tight. When I put my head up that feeling goes away. When I'm looking straight or down, I can feel it and I get that muffled feeling as though something is in the middle of my ear radiating down to the left side of my jaw. 2. I can turn my head from side to side without pain but I feel a bit of stiffness in the back of my neck. 3. Some discomfort on and off under my chin where the muscle is. The right side of my jaw feels a bit tender to the touch. 4. A slight popping/squeaky type of feeling in my right nostril when I drink something. My throat does NOThurt when I swallow. 5. Some pressure in my eye that makes the lids feel a bit sleepy/heavy. My vision is not blurred but it kind of feels like I have to wipe my eye. Also, I did wake up today with some clear discharge in my eye and had a quick sharp pain in that eye once in the last 24 hrs but nothing since. 6. On and off vibrating feeling in my chest. It's a weird "motor" feeling in my chest which may be anxiety-related, don't know. 7. My shoulder blades ache. 8. I keep getting an on and off dull ache in my chest on the left side and on/off raw/sore feeling in throat that comes and goes and feels sensitive to air. 9. On and off dull pain in head near my temple. I don't have anymore spasms in my neck so the pressure/tension headache I was having has subsided. 9. Throughout the day, I feel the need to belch before I swallow. That's pretty much it. I do work on my computer and spend 8 hours or so sitting here. I have bad posture and have been under a lot of stress this past month and my anxiety has increased ever since having these problems. In the past 3 weeks I've had 2 EKG's that came back normal. I had a simple blood test done that came back normal. All doctors said they didn't feel any swollen lymph nodes in my neck. The E.N.T. did not do a scope of my throat but he said he doesn't think there is anything major going on with me. My GP felt the same but it's been 3 weeks now and I'm still going through all of the above. I'm super scared that I may have Head & Neck cancer, esophageal cancer, throat cancer, MS, or rheumatoid arthritis. When I asked the E.N.T and GP about this they both shrugged it off and told me "no" you do not have that but haven't done any x-rays or tests to rule them out. Has anyone experienced these symptoms or have any feedback you can offer? PS. I did have a chest x-ray one year ago and all was normal along with a heart x-ray that came back normal. Also, I don't drink or smoke. Well, I went to see a different GP yesterday who did a thorough physical that took almost 2 hours. GP concluded that all is "normal" despite my pain. No swollen lymph nodes or anything. Blood work is normal. He thinks it's all anxiety related (no surprise there) and he even had a second doctor check me out to confirm. He prescribed Zoloft and has me starting with a slow dose and gradually building up. I was crying the whole time during the appt. I kept thinking "they think I'm a head case" and even though they told me I don't have signs of MS, head & neck cancer, etc, I'm still not convinced. I guess I won't be until I have x-rays, MRI, ct scan showing that I'm fine. Also, an online diagnostic test suggested I may have Fibromyalgia. When the nurse asked me what's wrong today and I told her, first thing she said was "sounds like Fibromyalgia." The GP doesn't seem 100% convinced that it is but said IF it is Fibro, this is the same path he would go down with regard to me taking zoloft.

Answer: I am not a doctor, but since your doctor doesn't seem to be concerned and you admit you are under a lot of stress the first thing you need to do is calm down a little. Many of the things you mentioned could be stress related, so try and relieve as many of the stressful thoughts you are having and just relax and see if that will make a difference.

Question: can someone answer this question for me ? i have a neighbor who is 31 years old and she told the whole neighborhood that she has esophageal cancer from smoking and drinking. i think she found out in february of this year and had been doing radiation. she said the dr. told her that it was so bad, there was no cure for it and she may not even make it til the end of the year. she was taking radiation in june but i dont know if she still is. now when we see her out, she seems to have gained a lot of weight back and i hear her talking to friends about drinking and wanting to get wasted. i also saw her smoking outside the other day. she told me a few months ago that the dr. told her is she smoked another cigarrette or had a drink it could kill her. my question is this, we are all wondering if she really ever had cancer. she is the type of person who lies about alot of things.can someone who has this type of cancer just get over it and start back smoking that fast ?? can anyone help with this question ?? she was living with her boyfriend who is in the military at the time. he was overseas for about 3 months when we became friends with her. he always said he wasnt going to marry her, but when he came back she was trying to get him to marry her because the military would give her health insurance. so he did marry her and my husband and i were the maid of honor and best man at the courthouse for them. a few weeks later she tried to break my marriage up and started lies about us throughout the neighborhood. i have gotten passed this but always wondered if she made it up to get him to marry her since he never would before. am i crazy for thinking this ? i'm not the only one around here that thinks so. my main problem is that my grandfather just passed away in june from cancer and i alwyas used to talk to her about it and if she was faking cancer, i would be really upset. she stopped smoking as soon as she supposedly found this out, which was about 8 months ago. why start back now ?

Answer: you know sometimes it's a hard thing to answer. my grandmother had part of her liver actually removed and she was told the same thing if she had another drink its possible it could kill her and she had to quit smoking.. well that didn't happen the same week she got out of the hospital she started drinking and smoking again. Maybe my grandmother and your neighbor thought a like in the sense that if they are going to go why not do what makes them happy. My grandmother ended up getting cancer in her liver about 4 years later and then it spread to her longs. She lived, i wanna say a total of 7 years after her liver surgery... i know that happened when i was young and she died when i was 18. your neighbor could have done it to get attention but you never know... If she wants to do what she wants to do before she goes i can't say i disagree. I don't know that i'd neccesarily keep smoking and drinking but to each their own and i'm not here to judge others.

Question: Help? I'm really scared..? For the past month or so, I've been having severe abdominal pain. I went to a gastro, and finally after an endoscopy last week I was told I have Barett's Esophagus. I'm only fifteen. "Barrett's esophagus is a medical condition that occurs when the esophagus forms new types of cells on its surface that are similar the cells found in the intestines. Although the exact causes of this condition are unknown, certain risk factors (such as GERD, age, and obesity) will increase the likelihood of developing it. Barrett's esophagus can ultimately lead to a rare but deadly type of cancer called esophageal adenocarcinoma." What are the chances of this condition being life threatening? I DONT have cancer but Im just wondering like the chances of the condition leading to cancer and such..

Answer: You need to work with your doctor on this so that if something develops, it's caught immediately. You're 15 years old - by the time you may (and it just says it CAN cause cancer) get cancer who knows what will have come along. Don't let it scare you or wreck your life. And don't run away from it. People beat cancer everyday, and you don't have it anyway.

Question: Do you think this type of canvassing was Invented in Africa? And if so does it not damage it's reputation? Iam Mrs.Rita Gilbert,the wife of Mr.Sam Gilbert,both ofus,are citizens of the United states of America. myhusband worked with the Chevron/Texaco in Russia fortwenty years before he died in the year2003.We were married for ten years without a child. My Husband died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of(Seven Million Five Hunderd Pounds Sterlings) with a Bank in Europe.Presently, this money is still with the Bank and the management just wrote me as the beneficiary that our account has been DORMANT and if I, as the beneficiary of the funds, do not re-activate the account; the funds will be CONFISCATED or I rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf(note that you need to activate this account)as I can not come over. Presently, I'm in a hospital in Russia where I have been undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer.I beg you in the name of God to help me Stand- in as the beneficiary and collect the Funds from the Bank.i want a person that is God-fearing who will use thismoney to fund churches,Pleasereach me on my private mail:ritagilbert_63@yahoo.com.hk

Answer: Another scam!Stay clear.

Question: Do you think this type of canvassing was Invented in Africa? And if so does it not damage it reputation? Iam Mrs.Rita Gilbert,the wife of Mr.Sam Gilbert,both ofus,are citizens of the United states of America. myhusband worked with the Chevron/Texaco in Russia fortwenty years before he died in the year2003.We were married for ten years without a child. My Husband died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of(Seven Million Five Hunderd Pounds Sterlings) with a Bank in Europe.Presently, this money is still with the Bank and the management just wrote me as the beneficiary that our account has been DORMANT and if I, as the beneficiary of the funds, do not re-activate the account; the funds will be CONFISCATED or I rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf(note that you need to activate this account)as I can not come over. Presently, I'm in a hospital in Russia where I have been undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer.I beg you in the name of God to help me Stand- in as the beneficiary and collect the Funds from the Bank.i want a person that is God-fearing who will use thismoney to fund churches,Pleasereach me on my private mail:ritagilbert_63@yahoo.com.hk

Answer: This is called a Nigerian scam. Look it up. It plays on peoples greed mostly but also their wanting to help. If your asking is this real? the Answer is absolutely not. Do not give any information or contact this person. Honestly you should report them.

Question: can someone answer this question for me ? i have a neighbor who is 31 years old and she told the whole neighborhood that she has esophageal cancer from smoking and drinking. i think she found out in february of this year and had been doing radiation. she said the dr. told her that it was so bad, there was no cure for it and she may not even make it til the end of the year. she was taking radiation in june but i dont know if she still is. now when we see her out, she seems to have gained a lot of weight back and i hear her talking to friends about drinking and wanting to get wasted. i also saw her smoking outside the other day. she told me a few months ago that the dr. told her is she smoked another cigarrette or had a drink it could kill her. my question is this, we are all wondering if she really ever had cancer. she is the type of person who lies about alot of things.can someone who has this type of cancer just get over it and start back smoking that fast ?? can anyone help with this question ??

Answer: I would not jump to the conclusion that she was lying about the cancer - but you know her. However she does sound like a bit of a drama queen. I'm not an expert on all types of cancer but for sure on some types they certainly do treat with radiation without chemo. Radiation usually does cause a significant weight change. For esophageal cancer I would guess there would be weight loss to to problems with eating. With chemo, some people do lose weight, some gain. Most of the time the gain is from the steroids that are given with the chemo. When someone is addicted to nicotine they do weird things, addictions do that. So yes she could have gone through treatment, beaten the cancer back for a while and taken up her bad habits again. It's stupid but it is not a rarity. I'd give her the benefit of doubt, because in either case she is a sad person.