Things to note after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer patients

For patients with esophageal cancer, the end of radiotherapy does not mean the end of treatment. There are also some related matters that need attention.

First of all, the first thing for esophageal cancer patients after radiotherapy is to ask the attending physician about the next treatment plan. In general, the doctor will also inform the patient and his family of the effect of radiotherapy and the subsequent treatment plan.

Secondly, esophageal cancer patients generally need to review esophageal barium meal radiography after radiotherapy to observe whether the cancer is under control. If the lesion is not under control, local dose increase should be considered. At the same time, patients can keep the radiography results as a baseline film for comparison during future review.

Third, after radiotherapy, patients should be alert to the occurrence of radiation mediastinitis. Since late-course acceleration is often advocated for radiotherapy of esophageal cancer, the late-stage radiotherapy reaction is often severe. If patients gradually experience chest and back pain after radiotherapy, it is most likely caused by radiation mediastinitis and they should seek medical attention in time.

Fourth, after radiotherapy, the local disease is under control, and the patient should be reexamined regularly. Generally, reexamination is done every 3 months within 2 years after radiotherapy, every 6 months within 3 to 5 years, and once a year after 5 years. The reexamination includes X-ray barium meal, chest anteroposterior and lateral films, abdominal B-ultrasound, electrocardiogram, blood routine, etc., and gastroscopy and chest CT are reviewed when necessary.

Fifth, no matter which hospital esophageal cancer patients receive radiotherapy in, after the radiotherapy is completed, they should ask the attending physician for a treatment summary, stating the treatment dose for each treatment, the number of radiotherapy sessions per week, the total amount of radiotherapy, the size of the irradiation field, the boundaries of the irradiation field, whether the radiotherapy went smoothly, what problems occurred during the radiotherapy, how the doctor handled them, etc., for reference during later treatment.