Effect of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer

summary

My uncle suffered from esophageal cancer. Recently, he always felt foreign body in his throat, especially hemoptysis. At the suggestion of his family, he went to the hospital for surgery in time, and the effect was quite good. Now his condition is basically under control. Now I will ask about the effect of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer Let me tell you.

Effect of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer

Combined with surgical therapy: preoperative irradiation can reduce the size of cancer and metastatic lymph nodes, degrade or even disappear cancer cells, and change the cancerous adhesion between cancer and adjacent organs into fibrous adhesion, which is helpful to improve the resection rate.

Radiotherapy can obliterate the tumor and its surrounding small blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, eliminate the subclinical micrometastases around the tumor, reduce the chance of intraoperative dissemination, and improve the effect of surgical treatment. Radiotherapy alone: it is suitable for patients who are contraindicated to surgery but have limited cancer and no severe dysphagia.

The operation of cervical and upper esophageal cancer is difficult and the curative effect is poor, so radiotherapy is often used. The effect of radiotherapy, survival more than one year up to 40%, survival 3 years up to 20%, survival 5 years up to 10%. The curative effect of cervical and upper thoracic segment is better than that of middle thoracic segment, but lower thoracic segment is worse. The shorter the lesion, the better the curative effect.

matters needing attention

The disease of esophageal cancer should be paid attention to by patients. For patients with esophageal cancer, bad living habits should be corrected in time in daily life, and more attention should be paid to the diet. The diet should be mainly light food and avoid contact with spicy food. Radiotherapy includes radical and palliative. The surgical treatment of cervical and upper thoracic esophageal cancer is more traumatic and has higher incidence of complications, while radiotherapy is less invasive and has better curative effect than surgery.