People “aren’t quite familiar enough” with the warning signs for oesophageal cancer, an oncologist has said.
Oesophageal cancer affects more men than women generally by a ratio of eight to one.
However, a recent survey by Oesophageal Cancer Fund has found there is a significant misunderstanding of the diseases symptoms.
On Newstalk Breakfast, the Irish Society of Medical Oncology’s secretary and consultant medical oncologist Dr Michael McCarthy said the difference between men and women is “probably related to lifestyle and environmental factors”.
“Although, there is some research looking into whether there are biological or hormonal differences between the groups,” he said.
“In Ireland, if you look at the National Cancer Registry figures, there's about 510 cases of oesophageal cancer diagnosed in Ireland per year.
“About 340 of those are men and about 170 of those are women - so the ratio in Ireland is about two to one.
“This probably does vary significantly internationally because of different environmental risk factors that people are exposed to.”
Oesophageal cancer - transverse section and coronal section of oesophagus. Image: AlamyDr McCarthy said the key symptoms are around swallowing food and heartburn.
“The key symptoms are difficulty swallowing food - so the sensation of food getting stuck in the middle of your chest in the sternum or the breastbone,” he said.
“That's probably the most important factor, you know, that should not be happening, if anybody notices that, they should seek help from their GP.
“Also chronic untreated heartburn should be looked into - and weight loss is another key symptom.”
Diagnosis - Oesophageal Cancer. Image: AlamyDr McCarthy said people aren't quite familiar enough with the warning signs of oesophageal cancer.
“The critical thing is that if somebody feels these symptoms, like other symptoms for any type of cancer, the sooner the cancer is diagnosed, the more treatment options will be available,” he said.
“If we diagnose these cancers at an early stage, there will be a potential for cure.
“If they're diagnosed at a late stage, it's a very different situation.
“So, the sooner somebody comes to have these symptoms checked out, the better the range of treatment options we'll be able to offer.”
Dr McCarthy said having a conversation with a patients who have been diagnosed at an early stage is much better compared to the conversation with somebody who has been diagnosed at a late stage.
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Oesophageal cancer - composite illustration. Image: Alamy
