What items should be checked for esophageal cancer

my country is a high-incidence area for esophageal cancer, and the number of deaths due to esophageal cancer ranks second only to gastric cancer. Most cases occur in people over 40 years old, and more in men than in women. However, in recent years, the number of cases under 40 years old has been increasing. What should be checked for esophageal cancer? There are many examination items that can be used clinically, among which the more commonly used ones are the following.

Esophageal exfoliative cytology examination: The biggest feature of this examination method is that it causes less pain to the examinee and has a high accuracy rate. Practice has shown that the total positive rate of esophageal cancer detected by this examination in areas with a high incidence of esophageal cancer is as high as over 90%, making it the preferred method for early diagnosis of esophageal cancer.

Fiber endoscopy: This examination has become a routine clinical diagnostic method for digestive tract diseases such as esophageal cancer and gastric cancer. This device is bendable, has a wide visual range, and has a high accuracy rate. The detection rate of fiber endoscopy can reach more than 85% for early esophageal cancer.

X-ray barium meal contrast: This examination is not easy to detect early esophageal cancer, so during the test, the doctor will ask the patient to swallow barium in small sips several times, and then through observation and double contrast of air and barium, find out whether the esophageal mucosa is thickened, tortuous or interrupted in a dotted line. In addition, it is easy to find whether there is a defect on the edge of the esophagus, localized stiffness of the tube wall, barium retention and other early signs of esophageal cancer.

Chest CT scan: This examination is helpful for staging, resection judgment, and prognosis estimation of esophageal cancer.

Esophageal endoscopic ultrasound examination: In recent years, esophageal endoscopic ultrasound examination has gradually been used in clinical practice.