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Symptoms of Cancer of the oesophagus
When cancer of the oesophagus first develops it often doesn’t cause any symptoms because it’s so small. Sometimes symptoms don’t become noticeable until the cancer is quite advanced.
One of the most common symptoms of cancer of the oesophagus is difficulty swallowing (dysphagia). This happens if the tumour is getting in the way of food passing down the oesophagus. When you swallow, it can feel as though food is stuck in your gullet, as the muscles of the oesophagus try to push it past the tumour.
Other symptoms that you may notice include:
- vomiting after eating;
- pain in the chest or between the shoulder blades that gets worse after eating;
- weight loss. This can happen if eating gets very painful;
- vomiting blood;
- coughing (especially when you swallow);
- a hoarse voice; and
- heartburn and indigestion.
It is important to remember that many of these symptoms, particularly heartburn and indigestion, can also be caused by conditions less serious than cancer. Tests are needed to find out what is causing the problem.
Sometimes the cancerous cells spread from the oesophagus and affect parts of the body that are close by, such as the lymph nodes (small organs that help to drain fluid from the body) and blood vessels in the chest. The cancerous cells can also be carried in the bloodstream, leading to the formation of other (secondary) tumours in the liver or other organs.
