chances of esophagus cancer

[insideout20]

i have had trouble with food sticking down right side of throat sometimes, even pills 2

I am on ppi for gerd but recently if I burp food comes back up

I had blood tests and a chest xray and all clear

what are the chances it could still be cancer with a clear chest xray ? because I haven't had the barium swallow yet

[pnb]

If you don't mind me asking....how old are you?

Oesophageal cancer tends to develop after 50 fifty years of age, usually after many years of untreated heartburn. I notice you take a PPI.

How long has this been for? This should have kept your heartburn in check and the chances of this developing into Barretts Oesophagus (the typical pre-cursor to cancer) is very low.

A chest X-ray is unlikely to show Oesophageal problems.

It could well be that you have some oesophagitis after break-through acid etc.

There are many, many explanations for what you describe.

I have some experience of this having been treated for Barretts Oesophagus and having my mum die of Oesophageal cancer 4 years ago.

Paul.

[insideout20]

hi,

I am so sorry to hear about your mum

I am 32

I had heartburn on and off since I was 18, I lost weight and it went away for years, then a few years ago I had it again but just tried to deal with it with anti acids etc, then I got put on ppis and that stops the burning

I just feel when I eat food gets stuck in my chest for ages, sometimes I want to bring it up by being sick if I eat too much and for a while I feel like food gets stuck in the right side of my throat

at the very least if I did have this, if it had spread I'm sure it would have shown on the chest xray ?

[CMax]

Dysphagia is a very common occurrence. It can be caused by stress, by a slight constriction of the esophagus, and can be specific to certain types of food. Bread, steak, and pastry are often the culprits. Sticking food by itself could be a sign of so many different issues, many of them minor. Advice here is just an opinion - the best person to ask is a physician. They can send a quick scope down and immediately see if any follow up is needed.

[insideout20]

Dysphagia is a very common occurrence. It can be caused by stress, by a slight constriction of the esophagus, and can be specific to certain types of food. Bread, steak, and pastry are often the culprits. Sticking food by itself could be a sign of so many different issues, many of them minor. Advice here is just an opinion - the best person to ask is a physician. They can send a quick scope down and immediately see if any follow up is needed.

thanks for your reply, I really hope so, its hard enough thinking I have ms, als, brain tumor and now this lol

[evensis]

i have had trouble with food sticking down right side of throat sometimes, even pills 2

I am on ppi for gerd but recently if I burp food comes back up

I had blood tests and a chest xray and all clear

what are the chances it could still be cancer with a clear chest xray ? because I haven't had the barium swallow yet

Just to chime in to make you feel slightly better, I've had the repeating food thing for years since my diagnosis with GERD, particularly KFC which I now avoid (repeating popcorn chicken yum hah). I also get the food stuck as well, part of which I realised was myself not chewing my food properly. How long have you been on the PPI's for? If you had oesophagitus it can take months for the damage to heal properly and the swelling to go down (took around 3 months for mine to settle down). Also, the damage can leave scar tissue behind (also known as a stricture).

At your age oesophogeal cancer is almost unheard of, and would be a genetic factor. If you further take into account there wasn't one single diagnosis between 2012 and 2014 in the UK of someone in your age group with oesophogeal cancer. Chest xray would show a lump if it had grown outside of the oesophagus, which is more to take console from.

I really don't think you have anything to worry about, but I've been where you are right now so know how it feels. As much as I know how difficult it is, try to put it to the back of your mind. :)

[insideout20]

Just to chime in to make you feel slightly better, I've had the repeating food thing for years since my diagnosis with GERD, particularly KFC which I now avoid (repeating popcorn chicken yum hah). I also get the food stuck as well, part of which I realised was myself not chewing my food properly. How long have you been on the PPI's for? If you had oesophagitus it can take months for the damage to heal properly and the swelling to go down (took around 3 months for mine to settle down). Also, the damage can leave scar tissue behind (also known as a stricture).

At your age oesophogeal cancer is almost unheard of, and would be a genetic factor. If you further take into account there wasn't one single diagnosis between 2012 and 2014 in the UK of someone in your age group with oesophogeal cancer. Chest xray would show a lump if it had grown outside of the oesophagus, which is more to take console from.

I really don't think you have anything to worry about, but I've been where you are right now so know how it feels. As much as I know how difficult it is, try to put it to the back of your mind. :)

hi, thanks for your reply, that make me feel better knowing nobody my age had been diagnosed in the last 2 years

I have been on ppis for 2 years now, is it bad to be on them for so long ? I don't get the burning anymore but get the regurgitation sometimes and a feeling like food just lies in my chest

I really want to come off them but I need to lose more weight before I think I could

[evensis]

There has been a few recent studies linking them to dementia, and also causing low calcium levels leading to bone fractures. I take them every other day, mostly as one usually sorts me out for 2 days.

I've had the food stuck in my chest and having to drink to clear it (bloody hurts), usually only get that when my acid has been really bad, thats when its daily PPI time.

[insideout20]

yea I could get away with them once every 2 days but now my doc wants me to take 2 a day ? this study is it conclusive that it causes dementia ? do you have to take them for a long time ?

[pnb]

People remain on PPI's for decades. Mostly without serious side effects, although there are some reports of osteoporosis in a few cases due to reduced mineral absorption.

They can be a little controversial for some but are the standard treatment and many people get substantial relief and some protection from cancer from their usage.

Weight loss is often a huge help in either reducing or coming off these tablets. It's not thats there is nothing you can do, I'm sure there's much but do not suffer unnecessarily whilst you are getting there.

As has been said, statistically it's extremely unlikely that you have anything to worry about. Having said that, the only way to know for sure is endoscopy + biopsy (and not x-ray).

Given your profile, I suspect a GP would look at your risk and deem it clinically unnecessary to conduct an endoscopy as the chances are so, so low.

Having said that, if you continue to have symptoms, even on PPI, you should insist on further investigation. There are many other GI related conditions that can cause your symptoms including motility issues as well as digestive issues.

[evensis]

I'll be honest even with the recent studies, I will continue taking them as a broken bone is better than barrets syndrome and what can entail later on (my colleague has recently been diagnosed with this - and now on the yearly endo list).

As pnb said it is so very unlikely you have this, I have noticed since I have gotten fat my acid has been at its worse.

There is one thing you can try, next time you chat to your doctor ask for a drug called Domperidone (brand name Motillium). It speeds up gastric emptying, this is what my doctor initially prescribed me when I mentioned about regurgitation. Weirdly enough it cured me of my ectopic heart beats at the same time.

[insideout20]

People remain on PPI's for decades. Mostly without serious side effects, although there are some reports of osteoporosis in a few cases due to reduced mineral absorption.

They can be a little controversial for some but are the standard treatment and many people get substantial relief and some protection from cancer from their usage.

Weight loss is often a huge help in either reducing or coming off these tablets. It's not thats there is nothing you can do, I'm sure there's much but do not suffer unnecessarily whilst you are getting there.

As has been said, statistically it's extremely unlikely that you have anything to worry about. Having said that, the only way to know for sure is endoscopy + biopsy (and not x-ray).

Given your profile, I suspect a GP would look at your risk and deem it clinically unnecessary to conduct an endoscopy as the chances are so, so low.

Having said that, if you continue to have symptoms, even on PPI, you should insist on further investigation. There are many other GI related conditions that can cause your symptoms including motility issues as well as digestive issues.


hi, the doc has sent me to ent regarding the food sticking , I have had a chest xray but I understand this doesn't really show anything but I guess its good to know my lungs are ok lol just knowing that stopped my panic attacks foir a week but I had a really bad one this morning which is so frustrating, I really need to start working out, it solves a lot of issues.