TCM's understanding of esophageal cancer symptoms

Traditional Chinese medicine calls esophageal cancer "dysphagia", and its causes are nothing more than changes in qi, phlegm, blood stasis, and heat. The following is a traditional Chinese medicine understanding of the symptoms of esophageal cancer.

Phlegm-Qi obstruction type esophageal cancer

Symptoms: a feeling of obstruction when swallowing, fullness in the chest and abdomen, which may be aggravated when the mood is uncomfortable, spitting sputum, dry mouth and throat, warm hiccups. The tongue coating is thin and greasy, the tongue is red, and the pulse is stringy, thin and slippery.

Symptoms: When phlegm and qi are blocked and the esophagus is not functioning properly, there will be a feeling of obstruction when swallowing, and fullness in the chest and abdomen, which may worsen when one is emotionally upset, and there will be spitting of sputum; after phlegm and qi are blocked, the body fluid cannot flow upward, or stagnant heat damages the body fluid, so there will be dry mouth and throat; warm air hiccups are signs of upward flow of stomach qi; thin and greasy tongue coating, red tongue, and stringy, thin and slippery pulse indicate qi stagnation and phlegm blockage, with signs of stagnant heat.

Phlegm and blood stasis esophageal cancer

Symptoms: stabbing pain behind the sternum, pain in a fixed location, difficulty swallowing, or vomiting immediately after eating, or vomiting phlegm, or vomiting material like red bean juice, constipation, hard stool like sheep dung, thinner body, dry skin, dull complexion. Purple spots on the tongue, greasy coating.

Symptoms: Phlegm and blood stasis are intertwined and block the esophagus, so there is stabbing pain in the chest and diaphragm, the pain is in a certain place, swallowing is blocked, or vomiting occurs immediately after eating, food cannot be swallowed and is vomited out again, and vomiting of phlegm and saliva occurs; blood overflows due to injury of the collaterals and the vomited matter is like red bean juice; long-term illness further damages the yin blood and the intestine loses moisture, so the stool is dry and hard like sheep dung; long-term inability to eat and digestion leads to a lack of metabolic source, which will inevitably lead to a thinner body and dry skin; dull complexion, purple spots on the tongue, greasy tongue coating, and thin and wiry pulse are all signs of internal phlegm and blood stasis.

Qi deficiency and yang micro-esophageal cancer

Symptoms: Long-term inability to eat or drink, difficulty taking soup or water, mental fatigue, cold body and shortness of breath, vomiting clear saliva, swollen face and limbs, distended abdomen, pale complexion, pale bitter tongue, weak or deep pulse.

Symptoms: As the disease progresses, the damage to Yin leads to the weakness of Yang. The Yang of the spleen and stomach weakens, the source of metabolism is exhausted, and the patient cannot eat or drink for a long time, and has difficulty taking soup or water, so he is mentally exhausted and vomits clear saliva. The Yang of the kidney is also defeated, so the face is swollen, the limbs are swollen, and the abdomen is swollen. The Yuan Yang weakens, so the face is gray, the body is cold and short of breath, the tongue is pale with white coating, and the pulse is thin and weak or deep and thin.