Complications of esophageal and rectal cancer

After surgical treatment of esophageal cancer and rectal cancer, the patient's body will have some discomfort symptoms. Some of these symptoms will gradually disappear as the body recovers, but some are postoperative complications that need to be resolved through treatment. So what are the complications of esophageal cancer and rectal cancer?

Complications of esophageal cancer include

1. Reflux esophagitis

A common complication after esophageal cancer surgery is reflux esophagitis. When you bend forward after a meal or sleep in bed, food or stomach acid will reflux from the stomach into the pharynx or mouth. At the same time, there will be pain behind the sternum and difficulty swallowing.

2. Postoperative respiratory tract infection

Esophageal cancer surgery destroys the integrity of the thorax and the diaphragm. Although lung tissue is not removed, the ventilation pump of the affected lung is severely damaged, which makes it easy to get a respiratory infection. Patients will experience varying degrees of breathing difficulties after surgery.

Complications of rectal cancer

1. Anastomotic leakage

Anastomotic leakage is a serious complication after rectal surgery, with a higher incidence in left-sided colon and rectal primary surgery. The incidence of anastomotic leakage with traditional manual operation is 5%-10%. The incidence of anastomotic leakage has decreased after using stapler technology, which is about 2.5%-6.6%.

2. Presacral bleeding

Presacral bleeding is a serious complication of rectal surgery, which is often fatal. The main cause is damage to the presacral venous plexus when separating the posterior rectal wall.