How to differentiate chronic pharyngitis and esophageal cancer

The foreign body sensation of swallowing caused by pharyngitis is very similar to the early symptoms of esophageal cancer. Therefore, many people who are prone to pharyngitis often think that they have pharyngitis again when they have dysphagia, and miss the best time to treat esophageal cancer. Therefore, we must understand the differences between the symptoms of esophageal cancer and chronic pharyngitis.

The difference between esophageal cancer and pharyngitis is:

1. Chronic pharyngitis

It is a chronic inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa. It is more common in middle-aged people. It is mainly manifested by discomfort in the pharynx, such as dryness, itching, burning sensation, etc. These symptoms can lead to short and frequent coughs. It is caused by repeated attacks of acute pharyngitis, or it can be caused by chronic inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and long-term stimulation of tobacco and alcohol, which leads to prolonged inflammation of the pharynx. For chronic pharyngitis, there is no difference between eating solid and liquid food, and even swallowing saliva will cause choking, which will be very uncomfortable.

2. Esophageal cancer

Generally, esophageal cancer does not cause dysphagia in the early stage. Patients often experience dryness and tightness in the throat or a feeling of oppression behind the sternum, bloating, and belching. Dysphagia is a process. First, it is difficult to swallow solid food, then semi-solid food, then liquid food, and finally water.

If esophageal cancer and chronic pharyngitis are not examined carefully, they can be easily confused with each other. Clinically, esophageal fluoroscopy or barium meal examination can distinguish the two.