Can barium meal detect early esophageal cancer?

The esophagus is our esophagus, which is the only way for food to reach the stomach and intestines. The esophagus rarely attracts people's attention in life because esophageal diseases are relatively rare. However, once the disease breaks out, it will be seriously destructive. For example, esophageal cancer is a cancer with a high mortality rate. It is very scary, and early detection is the key to reducing damage. Let's take a look at whether barium meal can be used to detect early esophageal cancer?

There are no symptoms in the early stages of esophageal cancer. Symptoms usually do not indicate cancer.

Barium meal cannot detect esophageal cancer in the early stages, and even if it is detected, it cannot be diagnosed, so esophagoscopy is still needed. Only esophagoscopy can detect it early and prepare early.

(1) X-ray barium meal examination X-ray barium meal examination of the esophagus can show that the barium stagnates at the cancerous site, and the barium flow in the diseased segment is thin and narrow; the esophageal wall is stiff, the peristalsis is weakened, the mucosal texture becomes coarse and disordered, and the edges are rough; the esophageal cavity is narrow and irregular, the upper segment of the obstruction is slightly dilated, and there may be changes such as ulcer niches and abandoned defects. Routine X-ray barium meal examinations often fail to detect superficial and small cancers. Double contrast imaging using sodium methyl cellulose and barium can more clearly display the esophageal mucosa and increase the detection rate of esophageal cancer.

(ii) Fiberoptic esophagogastroscopy can directly observe the morphology of the tumor and perform biopsy pathology under direct vision to confirm the diagnosis.

(III) For esophageal mucosal exfoliative cytology examination, a wire-mesh balloon double-lumen tube cell collector is swallowed into the esophagus. After passing through the lesion segment, the balloon is inflated and then slowly pulled out. A smear is taken with a net for cytological examination, with a positive rate of over 90%. It is often used to discover some early cases and is an important method for large-scale screening of esophageal cancer.

(IV) Esophageal CT scan CT scan can clearly show the relationship between the esophagus and adjacent mediastinal organs. The normal esophagus has a clear boundary with the adjacent organs, and the thickness of the esophageal wall does not exceed 5 mm. If the thickness of the esophageal wall increases and the boundary with the surrounding organs becomes blurred, it indicates the presence of esophageal lesions.

(V) Other examination methods: The use of toluidine blue or iodine in vivo staining endoscopy has certain value in the early diagnosis of esophageal cancer. This method has the advantages of being simple, easy to use, and accurate in locating and determining the extent of the cancer.