Early symptoms of esophageal cancer

The early symptoms of esophageal cancer mainly include:

1. Burning sensation behind the sternum when swallowing, pricking or pulling pain, especially when swallowing rough, overheated or irritating food. The pain can be relieved by antispasmodics and recurs intermittently. When cancer invades nearby tissues or penetrates, there may be severe and persistent pain. The pain site is often not completely consistent with the site of esophageal lesions.

2. When swallowing food or drinking water, there is a feeling that the food passes slowly and is retained, or there is a feeling of tightening behind the sternum or a feeling of foreign matter attached to the esophageal wall, which disappears after eating. The site of symptom occurrence is often consistent with the site of lesions in the esophagus.

3. There is a feeling of choking when swallowing, which may be mild or severe. It may disappear or recur on its own, does not affect eating, and may occur or worsen during emotional fluctuations.

4. There may be dryness and tightness in the throat, stuffiness behind the sternum, back pain, and heating discomfort