The pathogenesis of esophageal cancer in TCM

In traditional Chinese medicine, esophageal cancer is called "dysphagia" and "regurgitation". The causes of esophageal cancer are mainly internal injury, diet, emotions, and organ dysfunction. The three factors interact with each other and cause disease together, forming three kinds of evil qi, qi stagnation, phlegm obstruction, and blood stasis, which block the esophagus and narrow the esophagus, causing loss of body fluid and blood, dry esophagus, and difficulty in eating and drinking. The specific pathological mechanisms are as follows:

1. Qi stagnation: It is more common in the early and middle stages, mostly due to emotional discomfort, worry, anger, or excessive eating, cold and heat discomfort, which cause liver depression and qi stagnation, and the body fluids gather to become phlegm, and the phlegm and qi block the esophagus.

2. Phlegm stagnation: It is more common in the late stage of esophageal cancer, and is caused by emotional depression and excessive drinking. For example, eating too much fatty, greasy and spicy food, drinking too much, or promoting dampness and heat, resulting in phlegm. Over time, phlegm and heat are combined; or accumulated heat consumes yin, body fluid damages blood and makes the esophagus lose moisture, causing choking.

3. Blood stasis: Heat-toxic blood stasis can be seen in all stages of esophageal cancer. "Qi is the commander of blood, and blood is the carrier of Qi." Stagnation of Qi causes poor blood circulation, Qi stagnation and blood stasis, untransformed phlegm and dampness, and phlegm coagulation and accumulation.

4. Heat toxicity: Excessive drinking and sex, emotional injury, and the mistaken use of spicy and dry medicines all lead to deficiency of body fluid and blood, and gradually increase of Yang fire, which becomes toxic over time and burns the esophagus.

5. Physical weakness: due to inadequate congenital endowment or aging, imbalance of yin and yang, imbalance of water and fire, inability of the body to overcome the pathogenic factors, tumors taking advantage of the opportunity to invade.