What are the complications of advanced esophageal cancer?

The complications of esophageal cancer are quite serious compared to other cancers. Medical staff should be more vigilant in clinical practice, and the family members of patients should also be particularly careful. Once the above complications of esophageal cancer appear, they should be notified in time and handled as soon as possible to avoid delaying the disease, affecting the treatment effect, and endangering the patient's life. The complications of esophageal cancer vary from person to person, and generally include the following aspects:

1. Cachexia: In the late stage of esophageal cancer, due to the increasing difficulty in swallowing, long-term hunger leads to negative nitrogen balance and weight loss, which has a direct impact on the incidence of complications and surgical mortality of esophageal cancer. Due to the difficulty of oral feeding, patients with advanced esophageal cancer have varying degrees of dehydration and reduction in total body fluids. Patients develop cachexia and obvious dehydration, which manifests as extreme weight loss, weakness, loose and dry skin, and a state of exhaustion.

2. Bleeding or vomiting blood: Some esophageal cancer patients vomit, and some esophageal cancer patients vomit blood due to tumor invasion of large blood vessels, and occasionally heavy bleeding. This complication of esophageal cancer is more serious. The blood comes from the cancerous ulcer of esophageal cancer, and the tumor erodes the large blood vessels in the lungs or chest. Vomiting blood is generally a clinical symptom of patients with advanced esophageal cancer.

3. Organ metastasis: If metastasis occurs to important organs such as the lungs, liver, and brain, symptoms specific to the corresponding organs, such as dyspnea, jaundice, ascites, and coma, may occur.

4. Sympathetic ganglion compression: This complication of esophageal cancer is caused by the compression of the sympathetic ganglia by the cancer.

5. Water and electrolyte imbalance: Due to dysphagia, these patients tend to develop severe hypokalemia and muscle weakness. It is the most common complication of esophageal cancer. When esophageal cancer patients cannot swallow saliva due to dysphagia, they may develop significant hypokalemia. Some squamous cell carcinomas can produce parathyroid hormone and cause hypercalcemia, even in the absence of bone metastasis. Hypercalcemia in esophageal cancer patients without bone metastasis before surgery is often a sign indicating a poor prognosis.

6. Aspiration pneumonia Due to aspiration and aspiration pneumonia caused by esophageal obstruction, the patient may have fever and symptoms of systemic poisoning.

7. Esophageal perforation: In advanced esophageal cancer, especially ulcerative esophageal cancer, perforation is caused by local erosion and severe ulceration of the tumor. It is a serious complication of esophageal cancer. Different symptoms occur due to different perforation sites and adjacent organs. Perforation of the trachea causes esophageal tracheal fistula, and choking and coughing during eating, especially when eating liquid food. Perforation of the mediastinum can cause mediastinitis, chest tightness, chest pain, cough, fever, increased heart rate and increased white blood cell count; perforation of the lungs can cause lung abscesses, high fever, cough, purulent sputum, etc.; perforation of the aorta can cause esophageal aortic fistula, which can cause massive bleeding and lead to death.